The Little Differences
by Dashanerocket
Summary: Jason has never really understood girls. Or Octolings. So when he gets the chance to kill two birds with one stone, he just might take it. After saving a fellow cephalopod's life, his life dramatically changes. Rated T for mild themes of violence, implied swearing and light fluff.
1. Chapter 1

The Little Differences

A very irritated looking Inkling boy walked out of Deca tower. He wore a Red Tentatek Tee, short pants and Amber Sea Slug Hi Tops shoes. His tentacles wear styled in the popular 'hipster' haircut style. He was red in the face with frustration and looked like he was going to throw his blaster at the nearest squid. He stormed off to sit at a table to calm down, all the while grumbling something about 'spawn campers'. Sitting down he checked his bank account on his phone to see what how much he had earned for the day. He groaned at the sight of such a low number.

"You ok, Jason?" asked a green haired Inkling boy, who came over and sat down with him.

"I won three matches today, Sam, three." replied the fuming yellow Inkling, apparently called Jason.

"And how long have you been playing today?" Sam questioned.

"Two hours" groaned Jason, banging his head into the table.

"Can't have earned much today then?" Sam asked with concern.

"Nope." Jason groaned into the table.

"Oh... Well Turf War season is almost over, maybe you're just a little burnt out." suggested Sam.

"It's not that I'm tired, it's just that I'm no good. I'm sloppy, I make rash decisions. And I, in general, have an anger issue." Jason said gloomily, tapping his fingers on the table. "Multiple times, I wanted to rip one of my teammate's head off! And don't even get me started on those spawn campers!" he said pounding his first on the table.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, teammates and opponents can make this sport pretty hard."

"Tell me about it! The salt is real. Maybe I should just focus more on other things that I'm already good at." Jason said with a sigh.

"Mmm, yeah. A break from turfing might help, but I hope you won't give up on it indefinitely."

"I'll admit, Turfing has kept me in good shape, and when I'm doing good, I'm having a blast! I don't want to give up, but when I'm having a bad day... eh. I'm probably just a sore loser." chuckled Jason.

"Well, I won't say something like 'you need to practice more' or 'you to find a squad to join' because I know you already know that stuff. For someone who doesn't have a lot of time to practice, you are doing very well. Many of these other players play all day, every day." encouraged Sam. "Besides, in the end, all they did was make a bigger mess than you!.

Jason thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "Thanks, Sam. It really is great to have such an encouraging friend like you around." Jason complimented.

"No problem dude. You've been a great friend to me too." Sam patted him on the back. "You want to come over to my place and hang? I'd love for you to meet my girlfriend."

"Hmm, sorry no. It's getting late and I need to go get some groceries. Thanks for offering though. I could maybe come over the day after tomorrow." Jason said with a smile.

"That's fine with me." Sam smiled back. "But hey, you need to get yourself a girl eventually too you know." He said with a smirk.

Jason waved his hand in dismissal. "When you find an Inkling that wants to be my girlfriend, pinch me to wake me up." He joked.

"Well, it's not just Inklings who might be interested." Sam teased, breifly looking over his shoulder at a group of Inkling and Octoling girls.

"G-get out of here! There's no way an O-o-octoling would want to d-date me!" Jason almost choked on his words. "And besides, I'm not interested in getting a girlfriend right now."

"Come on! I saw you looking at the group of Octolings the other day." Sam continued to tease him. "You were staring for quite a while."

"Shut up man!" Jason half whispered-half yelled through his teeth. "I was just... observing!" He tried desperately to hide his big grin. His eyes drifted to a group of giggling Inkling and Octoling girls sitting at the table behind Sam. Occasionally, one would glance at him. Jason worried if they had overheard. His face began to turn red. "I just find the Octolings really interesting."

"Suuuuure. And why do you find them so interesting?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I'm curious about them. They're always so polite and kind to everyone, and they're good with machines and have amazing technology. Their culture is so different from ours in some ways and similar in others. I would like to learn more about them but I just haven't really struck up a conversation with any of them." Jason explained staring at nothing in particular.

"Well if you don't make a move soon, I'll find someone for you." Sam shrugged.

"Uh huh." Jason rolled his eyes.

"Ok, I better head home. Cya!" Sam got up to leave.

"Bye!"

Sam started walking away. As he passed the group of girls he did a cheeky wink and finger guns at them. The girls laughed and Jason chuckled to himself.

Sam had been a good friend of Jason's for almost two years. He was quite nice and caring and looked out for the little guys. But he loved to tease Jason. Like a lot! But his antics had never hurt their friendship. Sam was the reason Jason got a well-paying job at the Nautical Dining Restaurant where he worked as a waiter and an assistant chef.

Jason glanced again at the group of girls. They were still giggling and some of them were looking at him making him turn even redder. Girls were always so mysterious to Jason. He didn't have any friends who were girls, much less, a girlfriend. He knew to be polite and considerate to ladies (he learned that from working in a fancy restaurant) but he never had many proper conversations or meaningful interactions with them. And so, he could never understand them. He decided to push those thoughts to the back of his mind.

With the frustration of the day's turfing subsided, Jason decided to go do his grocery shopping. He'd be turning 17 in a few days and he had invited his few friends to his place for a nice birthday dinner. As he got up he noticed a group of Octolings walking and talking together in their native tongue. This was nothing new of course, Octolings were becoming a common sight in Inkopolis.

After DJ Octavio's recent imprisonment the Inkopolis city officials held a meeting to figure out what to do with the Octolings. Without their leader, the Octoling society collapsed and many of them needed new homes. Many of the Octolings never wanted to anything to do with Octavio's army and were just regular citizens who had never committed any war crimes. After weeks of deliberation, they decided that just letting the Octolings live underground in a collapsing and powerless society would be a moral injustice against their distant relatives. The city decided to start letting Octolings immigrate to Inkopolis.

The city reassured the Inklings and the other races of Inkopolis that the Octolings they had selected for the first contact had good intentions and that they were not being invaded. Slowly at first, they started letting Octolings live in the city. The city provided jobs and housing to help them get started and the Octolings in return had become a great asset to Inkling society. The more brainy ones shared their superior technology with Inkling researchers, many had joined the workforce and some had joined the army.

The Octolings had adapted well to life on the surface. Most of them lived in apartments and houses along with their squid counterparts, had learned fluent Inkling and in general got on really well with the citizens of Inkopolis. They worked and played in harmony with the people of the overworld. The Inklings gave the Octolings a new home and in turn, the Octolings gave back to the Inkling society.

Jason watched the group of Octolings walk, laugh, share stories and jokes in their native tongue and, in general, just have a great time. Jason had not spent a lot of time with the Octolings and only really encountered them in the Turf Wars. Like with girls, he was curious about them. Their culture, their clothes, their music, their food, and their language. It was all so different, so alien. And yet, so similar to the Inkling ways.

The sun was setting and Jason pushed his curiousness to the back of his mind. _"Right, groceries."_

As he walked to exit the square he heard the giggling behind him grow louder. He looked back to see the group of girls laughing their heads off and pointing at him. Some even had their phones out and were taking pictures or videos.

"What's so funny?" he called back to them, really confused.

"Check your back!" an Inkling girl managed to say in-between gasps for air. Jason reached behind his back and pulled back a large piece of paper. On it was a written: _HEY LADIES! I'M SINGLE AND LOOKING FOR A GAL WITH BIG..."_

Jason stopped reading and scrunched up the paper. SAAAAAAAAM!" he yelled. The laughing grew louder still as he walked away to do his groceries.

* * *

 **Hey there! Thanks for reading. It's not much yet, but I hope to make this a 12 chapter or so long series. I'm still a beginner writer and I'm using this as a practice for my other writing project, Astroneer: Terran and Beyond. While that project is on hold, I'm going to use this story as a practice to write conversations and romantic scenes. I thought that I could get some feedback from readers to help hone in on my writing style. I'm not going to ask you to review this chapter just yet (you can if you want though). I would like to get more chapters out first, then I'll start begging for advice. You can always follow me, for notifications on when the next chapter is out.**

 **I'll stop babbling now. Thank you again. Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket.**


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had set over Inkopolis. The citizens of the city were commuting home, having dinner, watching the evening news and getting ready for bed. Jason however, was exiting the grocery store with three heavy bags in each hand and one in his mouth. He was now wearing a red hoodie over his previous clothes because it was getting cold. _"Ok, there has to be a taxi here somewhere."_ he thought. Jason wasn't old enough to drive and he lived by himself, so he usually walked everywhere or used public transport to get to places. He walked down the sidewalk on his way to his apartment, keeping an eye open for a taxi or a bus stop.

He passed by his work: The Nautical Dinner, and looked through the window out of curiosity. He saw happy families, groups of friends and couples. Smiling, laughing, eating and talking. A great sadness fell over him as he suddenly felt quite alone. Jason was going home to an empty apartment.

 _"One day, I'll have somebody to call my own."_ he thought. He then realized how cheesy that sounded and how stupid he looked with a bag hanging from his mouth, staring through the window. He continued to make his way home, still looking for a ride.

A few minutes later, having not found a taxi, he was still walking. His arms were aching and his eyes were getting heavy. He so desperately wanted to get home and go to sleep. As he passed an alleyway, he heard muffled banging and shuffling. Thinking it was just a rat the ignored it and kept walking. Then he heard a muffled scream follows by a louder bang. His pointy ears perked up and he spun his head around. The commotion got louder. _"Something is up."_ he thought.

Putting his groceries down, he briskly walked back to the alley and peeked around the corner. The alley was dark but he could barely make out two, dark figures. One was taller and looked stronger. The smaller one was struggling against the taller one, trying to keep them away. Then Jason saw the glint of a knife in the taller one's hand.

Jason pulled back around the corner. _"OH COD! OH COD! CARP, CARP, CARP CAAAAAAARP!"_ he screamed internally. His heart was racing, his hands were trembling and he covered his mouth to quiet his rapid breathing. He was witnessing a mugging. And he would soon be witnessing a murder if he didn't do something about it. He couldn't call the police because it would take to much time and the mugger would hear him. He couldn't fight because he had no hand-to-hand combat experience and his blaster was back at the Square. He doubted that asking nicely for them to stop would help. _"Think, Jason, THINK!"_

Suddenly a thought occurred. Adrenaline took over and his mind clouded. A wave of burning anger filled him and he ran back to his groceries, grabbed a bag, and ran back into the alley. The taller figure had pinned the smaller one against the wall. Jason lobbed a can of beats at the assailant. It hit them in the shoulder and sent them back.

The attacking figure gripped their shoulder and yelled through clenched teeth. "You little squit!" they yelled. Jason couldn't recognize the voice, but it sounded male. The figure now fully turned toward Jason, knife in hand. Jason realized he may have made a terrible mistake. He looked big and was wearing a black hooded jacket so Jason couldn't make out his face. "You will pay fo-!" the mugger was cut off by a can of peas landing square in his chest.

Jason continued to chuck heavy objects from his bag at the assailant sending him further and further back. One can hit his arm making him drop his knife, an apple hit him in the knee and a cabbage hit him in the forehead.

"Argh! Cut that out!" the hooded figure yelled.

Jason stopped throwing produce for a moment. "Mmmm... nah!" He then continued hurling things from his bag.

"Stuff this!" The mugger yelled before turning and running down the other end of the alley griping his arm and limping a bit.

Jason's stared after him until he was gone, Broccoli in hand. Then his knees gave way and he collapsed on the ground. _"Oh my_ Cod _! I just did that! Oh my_ Cod _!"_ His breathing finally calmed and his heart stopped thumping out of his ears. He then turned his attention to the victim of the mugging. He moved around to the other side of the dumpster to see if he could help.

An Octoling girl huddled with her knees in her chest, still shaking with fear. She was wearing the Neo Octoling armor, the uniform of the Octarian military. Jason couldn't see her face very well, but he could tell she was crying. Jason felt a knot in his stomach. This girl could have died if not for his idiocy.

"Are you ok?" he asked the Octoling quietly. The girl shook her head and let out a whimper, crunching up into a tighter ball of despair. Jason got out his phone, turned on the flashlight and set it to low. He used it to get a better look at her. She had light blue tentacles in a pony-tail and fair skin. She had multiple bruises and cuts on her arms, legs, and face. She had her eyes closed as she cried into her arm.

"Do you have a place to go?" Jason asked her. She shook her head. "No friends or family nearby?" Again, she shook her head, sobbing. Jason's heart melted. A homeless girl just got assaulted. _"That bastard!"_.

"Would you like to come with me?" Jason asked hesitantly. The girl didn't respond. He couldn't just leave her out here, she needed medical attention. He could take her to the hospital, declare himself a hero and be done with it.

"Do you want to come with me to the hospital?" he asked again. The Octoling girl shook her head again and turned away from him. Jason couldn't believe what he was about to ask next.

"Do you want to come to my place?". The girl finally looked up at him with shimmering sapphire eyes. She wiped away her tears and nodded. Jason smiled and extended his hand to help her up. She gave a weak smile back and took his hand. He pulled her up carefully and gave her his hoodie, which she gladly put on. He then wrapped a reassuring arm around her and lead her out of the dark alleyway. Having completely forgotten his groceries he started for home with the Octoling.

"My name is Jason. What's your name?" Jason asked her.

"Thea." she said quietly.

* * *

The rest of the walk to Jason's apartment was silent and uneventful. Jason stayed calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was panicking. _"What am I doing?! Bringing a girl to my place?!"._ He reminded himself that he had to help this Octoling and that he couldn't break down now.

Jason could feel fatigue setting in as he unlocked and opened to door to his small apartment. "I'm sorry it's not much, but you can sleep on the couch. I'll go find some blankets and a pillow." He left Thea in the middle of the living room to find bedding.

Thea looked around Jason's home. The living room had a large couch, coffee table, and tv and was directly connected to the kitchen, which had a bench and stools for eating. There were three other doors, one of which Jason had gone into to get her bedding. Probably the storage. She could see the bathroom through one doorway so she assumed that the last room was Jason's bedroom. Jason came back with Thea's bedding.

"Ok you go use the bathroom to clean up and I'll make you something to eat." Jason suggested, putting the blankets and pillow on the couch. Thea nodded and left to use the bathroom. Two minutes later, she came back out. Jason offered her the sandwich he made and she took it to the bench to sit down and eat.

Jason watched her eat slowly. She looked so scared, but she was obviously trying to be brave. She was also adorable, but Jason wasn't going to admit that.

Thea finished eating. "Thank you. I-I haven't had a good meal in days." She said quietly.

"It's not a problem." Jason responded. He then noticed the scratches and bruises on her face and on her arms. There was a large gash on her right arm and another on her cheek. "Hey, let's clean you up." he said pointing back to the bathroom.

"Ok."

Jason took Thea to the bathroom. She sat down on the side of the bathtub and Jason got some medical supplies from a cupboard. "You know how to use these?"

Thea shook her head.

Jason bit his lip and knelt down in front of her. He saw that she had only cleaned her wounds with water. He took some medical alcohol and a cloth and started cleaning the cuts and scratches on her arms.

Jason could feel his face warming up. He could tell Thea was uncomfortable too. She had just gone through a terrifying ordeal and now was in a stranger's house. He decided to try and lighten the mood.

"You put up a good fight against someone with a knife." Jason commented, trying to ease her nerves.

"I guess."

"I don't think I could've done it." Jason commented while still tending to Thea's wounds.

"Well...that thing with the cans, that was pretty smart." She said with a small smile. She flinched when Jason rubbed some stinging alcohol on the large gash on her arm.

"Thanks. I wasn't really in control though. I'm not normally that violent." Jason said, being more careful with the cloth. He began to clean Thea's face, trying to avoid eye contact. His hand began to shake slightly and his heart pounded faster.

A long time passed in awkward silence. "You... uh... you new to Inkopolis?" Jason tried once again to strike up conversation.

"Yeah."

"Did you come with anyone?"

"No."

"Oh."

Thea flinched again as Jason wrapped a bandage around her arm to cover the large gash. Jason then applied a band-aid on her cheek one on her forehead. After a few more minutes, Thea was all patched up.

"Ok, that should stop any bleeding and make it more comfortable to sleep." Jason, still on his knees, leaned away.

He looked up at her. In the bright bathroom light, she looked absolutely stunning. Her bright blue hair practically radiated with a cool glow. Her ears were rounded like a teddy bear's, a stark contrast to the Inklings' pointy ears. Octoling females were generally curvier and matured earlier than Inkling females. Thea was no exception. Add that to the slightly revealing Neo Octoling Armor she was wearing, yeah, Thea was attractive.

What really caught Jason's attention were those bright, shimmering, sapphire eyes. They were memorizing. Full of gentleness and wonder, but also of guilt and worry.

Thea noticed Jason's staring and awkwardly smiled back. She didn't know who this Inkling was but he had just saved her from an angry man with a knife. Thea quite fancied the handsome Inkling's features too. He had broad shoulders and one of his tentacles was neatly swept to the side of his face. His emerald green eyes were full of compassion and understanding. His voice was soothing and he spoke with politeness. She found herself calming down as she looked gazed into Jason's eyes.

The two stayed staring for about a minute before Jason realized what he was doing. "A-ah! I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to stare. " Jason's face flushed and he jumped back to his feet.

"No, it's fine. I-I was staring too." Thea's face also flushed. "T-thank you for helping me." she looked down. "My arm already feels better." They didn't say anything more for a little while.

"It's getting late. We should head to bed." Jason finally said.

* * *

After Jason sorted Thea's couch he turned to Thea, who stood nearby.

"We'll figure out what to do in the morning. For now, just try to relax. If you wake up before me, you're welcome to anything in the fridge."

Thea nodded and Jason turned to go to his room.

"Thank you, Jason."

Jason turned back around. "Hmm?"

For saving my life. And for the food and for the bed." Thea said with a smile.

Jason smiled back. "You're welcome, Thea."

Jason went to his room and closed the door. He then proceeded to freak out about the hot girl in his apartment. On the other side, Thea heard a pillow muffled scream.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. I'm sorry if it seems the story is moving too fast, but I wanted to get the drama underway so it doesn't get boring. Thea is my OC. I play as her in Splatoon. I made up Jason for the purpose of this story. Again, feel free to review to let me know how I'm doing and follow me for updates.**

 **There was a guest review asking for longer chapters and I understand that the first one was a bit short. I just couldn't put anything else in there that would take from chapter two and not overload with exposition. So I hope this was a good length.**

 **I won't be able to put a chapter up every day, but hopefully at least once a week while school is still out. Ok, rambling over**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket.**


	3. Chapter 3

The golden rays of the morning filtered through Jason's curtains. Said Inkling shielded his eyes from the intrusive sunlight. He got out of bed with a groan and put on his slippers. He had the day off work so he could take it easy and relax.

Wait, no! He had an Thea in his apartment! Hold up! Did he really save an Octoling from certain doom? Did he really take her home with him? Did they really have that awkward scene in the bathroom? No! That's crazy! Jason would never do something like that. Although...

Jason opened his bedroom door just a crack and peeked through. There she was. Sound asleep on his couch. She had somehow found that embarrassing yellow squid plushie from his Nanna and was snuggling with it. Jason smiled at the sight. She had the most adorable smile on her sleeping face. Jason couln't help but smile too. He then noticed Thea's armor on the floor next to her. Jason's eyes grew huge.

He slammed the door shut and pressed up against it. His heart was pounding again. _"Oh_ Cod _! I'm such an idiot!"_ He had forgotten to give her something to wear to bed. Not only was there a girl on his couch, there was a **Naked** girl on his couch! " _Oh_ Cod _what do I do?!"_ he screamed internally. He may have been a guy but he had no intentions of invading Thea's privacy.

He again opened the door to consider his options. Thea's blanket was covering her so as long as she didn't wake up and move around he'd be fine. Jason didn't have any spare clothes that would fit her. He would have to go wake her up.

Jason tip-toed his way into the living room. Suddenly, Thea stirred and one of her hands flopped out in front of him. Thinking nothing of it, Jason simply 'squid-formed' to duck underneath her. All of a sudden she grabbed one of his tentacles and pulled Jason to her chest.

It all happened so fast Jason had no time to react. He was being squeezed between her arms and chest. He didn't dare to open his eyes. He heard her give a content sigh in her sleep. She was squeezing him tighter and tighter. Jason was struggling to breathe and was turning darker and darker shades of red. _"What the heck, Thea?!"_

Jason had to open his eyes. He peeked one eye open and was relieved to see she was still wearing the red hoodie he gave her.

Feeling like an idiot, Jason opened his other eye to find a way out of his predicament. He needed to get out of her grasp before waking her up. The plushie Thea had been previously snuggling had been dropped to the floor. Jason reached a tentacle down to try and grab it, but it was too far. With no other option, Jason resolved himself to his doom. He had to wake her up.

"Thea!" he whispered harshly. Thea stirred but tightened her grip on the poor squid. The close proximity to her was bad enough, but to be snuggled? "Gauk! Thea!" Jason said louder.

Thea bolted upright, flinging Jason into the wall. "W-what is it?!" yelled in a blind panic, frantically looking for danger. She then turned to see Jason leaning against the wall, gasping for breath and rubbing his head. "Oh, Jason! Are you ok?" She asked with concern.

"I jus-I just was star-was startled." he said between gasps of air.

"D-did I frighten you?" Thea asked embarrassed.

"Uh...Um, y-yeah in a way." Jason said. He felt a small lump forming on his head.

"I'm really sorry!" Thea said with worry. "I don't wake up very well."

"Oh, no it's alright (it wasn't alright)." Jason asked as his voice squeaked. Um, What do you want for breakfast?" Jason asked to change the subject.

"Well, what do you have?" she asked with a smile.

"Uh... pancakes sound alright?"

"Yeah, sounds delicious." Thea said.

"Ok, you can take a shower and I'll make pancakes." Jason said, still wheezing.

"K."

Thea got up and grabbed her armor to go to the bathroom. She seemed cheerier than the previous evening, so that was good progress. How someone can go from completely terrified about attempted murder to al cheery-go-lucky in one night puzzled Jason. _"Must be another girl thing I don't understand."_ he thought.

Jason watched Thea walk to the bathroom, then shut his eyes at the speed of sound upon realizing that she wasn't wearing any pants.

* * *

After Thea had a shower and got dressed in her armor, she and Jason sat down at the kitchen bench to indulge in the fresh pancakes Jason had cooked up.

"This is really good!" Thea said in-between gulps. "You are a really good cook."

"Thanks."Jason blushed as he ate his own pancakes. "I work as a chef so I know my way around pancakes." Jason chuckled.

The two continued to enjoy their breakfast in silence. Thea probably used about half of the syrup bottle. Finally, Jason spoke up.

"Thea, I have to be honest with you. I am kind of uncomfortable having you here." Thea looked up from her pancakes and made a puzzled face. "No! I don't mean it's your fault!" Jason said quickly.

"It's just, I feel really awkward around girls. I moved out of my family's house before my younger sisters were born and I avoided girls in school." Jason explained. "I don't watch girl movies or read romantic books, I just haven't felt the need to. I just wanted to let you know that if I act weird, it's because I really don't know what to do." Jason looked down having spoken his mind.

Thea smiled at the sweet Inkling. "It's ok. I was acting pretty closed off last night." She said reassuringly. " And I don't think you've been acting weird so far. You've been nothing but nice to me."

"Thanks, it's good to hear you don't hate me!" Jason joked. Thea laughed.

"Hey, uh, what's with the sudden change of attitude?" Jason asked Thea. "You seemed pretty upset last night." Thea's face grew somber.

"I had a lot of time to think last night. I decided what's done is done. I need to move on and make the most of my day. Staying in a sour mood won't help me or the generous squid that helped me."

"That sounds like a good attitude to have." Jason commented. "And I'm glad you're feeling better."

"You've been so kind to me. How could I not be better?" Thea chuckled. "So, hey. I have to ask, why did you decide to help me?" Thea asked.

Jason looked dumbfounded. "Well, I couldn't just let him kill you!"

"No! I mean why did you take me back to your place?" Thea asked again.

"Oh, well, you needed help. You had nowhere else to go and you didn't want to go to the hospital. I reasoned that I could spare some food and blankets." Jason stated 'matter-of-factly' and shrugged.

"A-and how long do you plan on letting an Octoling live in your apartment?" Thea asked sheepishly.

"Thea," Jason started with compassion on his face. "You are not just 'An Octoling' to me! You are a person. And a person in need of help." Thea's face brightened.

"But to answer your question," Jason paused and thought for a second. He thought about the consequences. He thought about what others might say about him. He thought about how much of a commitment it would be. He thought about his wallet. He thought about her well-being. He looked into her beautiful sapphire eyes.

"However long it takes to get you back on your feet." Jason finally said with a smile. Thea's face broke into the biggest grin.

* * *

The two finished up their breakfast and cleaned up. They sat back down at the bench.

"Ok." Jason started. "We need to figure out what to do next. Do you want to report the mugging?"

Thea thought for a moment before replying, "No, we don't have any evidence to back up our story. And we didn't get a good enough look at their face for the police to start a shearch party."

"Ok, then do you want to go to the hospital for professional medical attention?

Thea put a hand up to her face and felt one of the plasters on her cheek. "N-no." Jason was confused.

"Why not? They can definitely help you more than I can when it comes to your injuries."

Thea shook her head. "I just- I just don't want to go. It's a personal thing. I'm sorry, but I don't really want to talk about it." She looked gloomy again. Jason hated seeing her like that.

"Ok, I won't pressure you." Jason said. "Well, I can't keep paying for your needs forever. We'll need to find a job for you. What experience do you have?

"Well, I was in the Octarian army, for several years, but I didn't like it."

"Yeah, I'm reluctant to sign you up for the Inkling army." Jason leaned on an arm and rapped his fingers on the table.

"Mmm, I don't have any other skills. I mean, I guess I could do house cleaning?" Thea suggested with a tone that made it clear that she did not want to do that.

"No no, we'll find you a more sanitary job." Jason reassured her. "How long have you been in Inkopolis for?"

Thea thought for a moment. "A few days?"

"OK. Tell you what, I'll take you around town to see if we can find any ideas or opportunities for you. And while we're at it, we'll do some sightseeing and we'll find you some, uh, more modest clothing." Jason suggested.

Thea looked down at her slightly revealing outfit. "Yeah, I'd like that." she said with a slightly red face.

* * *

 **Ok, there we have it! Another one down! I wish I could make these chapters longer, but it already takes me almost all my free time to write these. I'm still a beginner so it takes a while. I also can't type properly so, yeah. Practice makes perfect, right? _RIGHT?_**

 **A friend asked me about Jason suddenly being ok with being around girls. Jason isn't scared of girls, he encounters them every day like a normal person. He just feels awkward around them and never had anyone to teach him about them. Even around Thea, Jason is awkward. I may have not made it clear enough in previous chapters or even this one. It is something I'd like to correct, but not right now. For now, just know that Jason is finding to hard to remain calm. I'll let you know when he's doing better.**

 **Edit: I have now updated the last few chapters to flesh them out a bit, fix a few errors and describe Jason's feelings a bit better.**

 **Welp, I think that's about it. Review if you feel like it and follow for updates.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	4. Chapter 4

Jason and Thea stepped off the bus and walked into the mall. Thea was amazed by the sheer size of the shopping center which wasn't even one of the larger ones in Inkopolis. Her eyes rapidly flicked between the different colorful shops, the mall's beautiful architecture and all the different people spending money.

"Wow, we never had anything like this in our town!" Thea exclaimed, brimming with excitement.

"Yeah? What was your town like?" Jason asked as they walked and talked.

"Uh...small." Thea said unenthusiastically. "Small town, small shops, small buildings, small community and small-minded people." She said. "Nothing exciting happened. I had no friends there. Actually, no. I did have a friend, but we couldn't keep in touch after I was recruited for the army."

"That's unfortunate." Jason said sympathetically.

"Yeah, it was. I hated the army. Always following orders, always training and always being moderated. There was almost no privacy and almost no free time." Thea continued with a bit of a pout in her voice.

"Now that's horrible!" Jason gasped. "I can't blame you for not liking the army! You didn't have a choice?"

"No, but I got out. And that's all that matters. I'm here now, in Inkopolis. I actually preferred being homeless in your city than living with a roof over my head in the army." Thea said with a weak smile.

Jason couldn't help but smile back. "Well, we'll just have to make sure living under a roof in Inkopolis is better than being homeless in Inkopolis!" He said pointing to the clothes shop they'd been walking too.

The two reached the clothes shop and headed inside. Thea squealed with excitement when she saw all the clothes on the shelves and racks. "This is so cool!" she whispered.

"Didn't have such big clothes stores in your town?" Jason asked a bit sarcastically. Thea shooked her head and rolled her eyes.

"So, what do you like to wear?" Jason asked her.

"I don't even know! I've never seen so many choices before!" Thea exclaimed. "I guess I'll just have to try everything!"

"Oh." Jason deadpanned. "Everything... I'm just going to wait over here."

* * *

After about an hour of trying different sizes, colors, and styles on, Thea came back to Jason. Jason looked over her choices. Some simple shirts and pants, a few jackets and sweaters, two new pairs of shoes, and most importantly, pajamas and underwear. It looked like a reasonable amount to Jason. Jason took her findings to the cashier to pay, while Thea left to wander around the store some more.

"Hey there!" the cute Inkling girl at the register greeted. Jason's heart immediately started beating faster.

"Hi! Just all this." Jason said trying to keep his voice from cracking. He dumped all of Thea's choices on the desk. The cashier started scanning the tags and placing the items in bags.

"New wardrobe?" The cashier asked without looking up from her work.

"Yeah, the armor she's wearing is all she's got." Jason motioned to Thea who had gone off to look at some socks.

"New immigrant is she?"

"Yeah, I wanted to help her out."

"Gotcha!" The cashier said as she finished up.

Jason got his back card out of his wallet and prepared to pay. He froze and cringed when he saw the total appear above the pin pad. He could almost hear his wallet crying out to him. He looked behind him and saw Thea trying on some other shoes. Thea looked back at him and smiled. Jason immediately returned the smile and swiped his card.

"Alright, have a nice day!" The cashier said handing Jason the bags.

"Thanks, you too!" he nodded and walked away to meet up with Thea, glad he didn't lose his cool. Now he just had to spend the rest of the day with another cute girl.

Thea was giddy with excitement and took some of the bags from Jason.

"You want to put some on now?" Jason asked.

Thea eagerly nodded and ran off back to the changing rooms. Jason watched after her and shook his head. _"I heard girls liked clothes shopping but, wow!"_

* * *

Thea and Jason dragged their bags through the mall. Thea was wearing a purple Grape Hoodie with a White V-neck Tee underneath, long tights and Black and Blue Squidkid V shoes. The two idly wandered through the mall, looking at all the various sights and browsing the occasional shop. Thea looked as happy as a small kid at an amusement park.

"Ever been to a library?" Jason asked Thea as they approached one.

"No. That's the place with all the books right?" Thea answered.

"Yeah, would you like to rent some?"

Thea thought for a moment. "Yes I would, I do like to read, but I can't read your language. I doubt there would be any Octarian books here." she sighed.

"There might be. And we could sign you up for an Inkling reading class. Would definitely help you find a job if you could read our text." Jason offered. (Inkling is the name of the language the Inklings speak.)

"Mmm... Ok. Can't hurt to look." Thea said and they walked in.

They spent a few minutes looking around the library and actually found some Octarian books and even some Octarian to Inkling dictionaries. They decided to sign Thea up for a twice a week Inkling class. They then rented some simple Inkling books, a few Octarian books and an Octarian to Inkling dictionary so Thea could practice at home. Jason put the books on his library card.

They then left to find a place to eat. They found a sandwich shop, ordered some lunch and sat down at a table.

"Thanks for taking me today." Thea said. "I'm sorry to be such a bother."

Jason frowned. "You are not being a bother. I didn't have any plans for the day anyway."

"No, I mean you're spending so much on me! Those clothes and the Inkling class can't have been cheap."

Jason cringed again. "Well yeah, I have spent more money than I usually would, but I can get money back. You need a job and the only way for you to get it is if you get some respectable clothes and can read our language. I'm happy to help you get a job, even if it means I'll be eating 2-minute noodles for weeks afterward." Jason grinned.

Thea laughed. "Well, thank you so much for helping me! I'm having a really good time!."

Jason and Thea's food arrived and they dug in. Jason ordered a chicken sandwich and Thea a wrap. He also bought a large bowl of fries to share. As they were eating, Jason heard snickering behind him. He turned around to see the same group of girls from the day before, sitting at another table.

The girls noticed him looking their way. One of them called out, "Hey, looks like he got his wish!" The group erupted into laughter. Jason's face went red with embarrassment and anger, but he didn't turn his head to acknowledge them. The girls laughed even harder, taking pictures at the tomato Inkling.

"What's going on?" Thea asked, very confused.

"These girls have been giving me a hard time." Jason hissed through his teeth, frowning.

"Hey, did you touch them yet?!" another girl asked. Jason thought back to the morning's incident, his face turning redder still and a scowl formed on his face. Thea still had no idea about what she had done in her sleep. _"I would never stoop to such a level! I'm not like that!"_ Jason thought.

"C'mon, let's go." he said to Thea.

"Oh...ok." They grabbed what was left of their lunch and left.

As they were walking away a girl shouted, "How'd they feel! Were they soft?!". The laughing continued as the girls mocked Jason. Jason almost lashed out right there and then, but reframed himself. Thea didn't understand the context so she was completely oblivious to what was being implied.

When they got further away, Thea spoke up. "What was all that about?"

Jason hesitated. He didn't want to lie to the sweet Octoling. She had been so honest with him, save for the hospital thing. He decided that being honest with her would probably be the best in the long term. Especially if Thea was going to be living with him for a while.

Jason sighed. "Yesterday, my friend Sam stuck an inappropriate note on my back. He probably meant it as a joke, but those girls found it hilarious. Seeing you with me made it all the more funny for them."

"I'm so sorry!" Thea gasped. "Maybe I shouldn't have come with you.

"No! It's not your fault. These things just happen sometimes. Neither of us could have done anything about it. But I'm not going to let it ruin my day."

"Glad to hear it. Um, Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"What did the note say?"

Jason went red in the face again. "I think it's for the best that you don't know. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"Ok." Thea shrugged.

The two continued to walk in awkward silence around the mall. Suddenly, a thought struck Jason.

"Wait, Thea, you've only been here for a few days, yes? You can speak our language but can't read it or write it?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, in the army we were taught Inkling so could listen in on Inkling transmissions, understand their tactics, and in case we were captured and interrogated." Thea answered casually.

"Oh." said a stunned Jason.

"However, I never learned how to read or write in Inkling." Thea continued. "Our superiors didn't think the foot soldiers would need to."

"Did you?" Jason asked. They stopped walking and sat down at a bench.

"No. I never went out on a mission. I spent years of my life training for nothing." Thea said sadly.

"Why did your training take so long?"

Thea sighed. "I didn't enjoy the army one bit. I couldn't build muscle to complete many of the courses. I didn't listen very well to my superiors so I was always in trouble. I failed many tests, over and over again. I could shoot just fine, my aim is good, but my hand-to-hand combat is lacking. Although, I did eventually become very fast and agile. That's how I was able to defend myself and evade the mugger, but I couldn't fight back." Thea said gloomily. Jason hated seeing her sad.

"It uh... It seems you've had a pretty tough life." Jason said. "What kept you from ending it all?" Thea looked confused. "Ya know, suicide?" Jason clarified.

"To an outsider, it would seem there was no hope for me. Stuck underground, far from home. But, I had hope. Hope that one day, the war between our species would end, and I'd be free. Free to be me. Not what someone else wanted me to be: a slave with a gun." Thea said. Jason's heart melted.

"And one day, I got my wish." Thea smiled up at Jason.

The two looked into each other's eyes for a minute, happy to just be in the moment.

"Thea, I'm so sorry that all that stuff happened to you. I want to help you get over the past, to help you start a new life here. That's why I'm willing to give so much. I will do everything I can to help you start over." Jason smiled.

"Thank you, Jason." Thea smiled with a tear in her eye.

* * *

Jason and Thea took the bus back to Jason's apartment. Jason emptied one of his drawers and moved it into the living area for Thea to store all her new clothes.

"Thank's again for taking me to the mall! I had a really good time." said Thea.

"Your welcome! I had a good time too." Jason replied. "Though, now we need to figure out what to do with the rest of our day. Jason said checking the time. "You ever heard of Turf Wars?"

"No, what's that?" Thea tilted her head.

Jason realized that Thea wouldn't know what turf wars were and explained

"It's our most popular sport. It's an objective based 4v4 team game. The players use ink weapons to cover the stage with their team's color. You can also splat your opponents to send them back to their base. The team with the most ground coverage by the end of three minutes wins!" Jason explained enthusiastically. "Spawn pads are used so you can't actually die. It's great fun and with your military training, you'd be great!"

Thea shifted uncomfortably on the couch, a look of worry on her face. "I don't know. It sounds a lot like one of the training exercises we had in the military. I really didn't like splatting people even if I knew they'd respawn. And having my superiors breathing down my neck was not very fun.

"Y-You don't have to play if you don't want to." Jason realized his error. He really didn't want to cause Thea discomfort. "We could just go down and watch a few games. We could do more sightseeing while we're there too. The square is a very popular hangout."

Thea thought for a moment. "Ok, I guess it couldn't hurt to look around."

"That's the spirit!" Jason said cheerfully.

The two grabbed their things and headed out once more.

* * *

 **Warning: Long A/N. Proceed with caution.**

 **Another chapter, another day of cheese and my favorite button: _Backspace_** _._ **This one took me a while because I kept on experiencing connection issues, so I kept loosing progress. It's really annoying to write the same few paragraphs FOUR times.**

 **I'm overwhelmed by how much support I've been getting! I was checking my email every few hours and almost always I had a message that someone had made a review or someone was following! Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! It really motivates me to keep going! I do read each and every one and it makes me so happy to see that others are enjoying my cheesy fanfic!**

 **I'm going to take a few days break from writing. Four chapters in four days is a big accomplishment for me and I'm a bit burnt out. I'm still going to go back and make some changes in the first few chapters.**

 **I really enjoy writing about Jason and Thea, and their story is still far from over. I said earlier that I wanted this series to be about 12 chapters long. I have decided that I will shorten it to about 9 or so. But I would love to do a sequel if this series gets enough support. No promises yet though. ;)**

 **Serious reviews on what you liked and didn't like so far are welcome! I'd like to improve my writing so I can keep on delivering great stories for the months to come. Even if you hated this let me know why so I can do better. Just be nice about it, k?**

 **Remember, I'm not done with this story yet. There is still lot's more to come! I'm really sorry about the long A/N. I will remove it later on. Ok, rant over.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	5. Chapter 5

On the bus ride to Inkopolis Square, Thea's face was glued to the window. She looked out at the beautiful city with wonder in her wide, sapphire eyes. Watching the cars and buildings and people zoom by was really amazing to her, as she hardly rode in vehicles in her home town.

Jason smiled. He loved watching Thea experiencing the city ride. She was a stranger to the sun and sky, having been born and raised underground. She looked genuinely happy.

He continued to watch Thea gaze out at all the amazing sights. She was genuinely captivated by the outside world. All the amazing things that Inklings had been living with for years. Things Jason and many others would take for granted.

When they reached the square Jason gave Thea a quick tour. He explained all the shops in the Galleria, Deca Tower, Grizzco Industries. They then headed to the Shoal, which was their destination.

The Shoal was a 2-story building and was dimly lit. Colorful lights and pumping music gave the place a fresh aesthetic. There was an arcade where Inklings and Octolings played games and wasted money. There was a cafe, where people could surf the internet and enjoy a muffin and tea. There was another room labeled as the 'Turf War Viewing Area'.

They went inside the viewing area and sat down on the provided chairs. There were several other Inklings and Octoling there too, watching the battles. A large Tv screen displayed the current match in progress with live commentary.

Thea and Jason sat and watched the flying colors and cephalopods. Thea, at first, found too hard to watch. She cringed and shuddered whenever someone got splatted, even though she knew they'd be fine. Memories and flashbacks of her infantry days came back to her. Jason noticed and felt stupid for bringing her.

 _"No, no, no! I'm here to enjoy myself!"_ Thea forced herself to stop thinking, and give the games a chance.

The smiling faces on all the participants, the over-the-top commentary, the fantastic music and animations. Slowly, Thea found herself enjoying the turf wars. Pretty soon, Thea found herself cheering for her favorite teams and laughing at sneaky splats and clever plays. Jason joined the hype too, pleased that Thea was opening up. Eventually, they were both chanting and cheering at the top of their lungs.

After only half an hour of watching, Thea turned to Jason and exclaimed with excitement, "I want in!"

Jason was surprised. "Wait, really? Are you sure?"

"Yes! Where do I sign up?" Thea asked excitedly.

"Follow me!" Jason beamed and lead her out to Deca Tower with a bounce in his step.

* * *

20 minutes later, Thea and Jason spawned with their two teammates on one side of Inkblock Art Academy. They were team purple. Their opponent was team orange.

Thea had a Splattershot Jr. and Jason, his Blaster. One of their teammates, an Inkling boy had a Dynamo Roller, and the other, an Inkling girl had a Splatbrella. Jason had already explained the rules of the game to Thea.

"Hey there!" said the Inkling girl. "First time?" she asked pointing to Thea's Splattershot Jr.

"Yeah... I hope I'm not putting you at a disadvantage." Thea answered nervously.

"Daw, not at all!" the inkling girl replied. "You'll do fine!"

"Yeah, and we'll help you out!" said the Inkling boy with the Dynamo. "Want me to come with you? I could show you some of my uh... special techniques." he said with a sinister smirk.

"Oi, Mac!" yelled the Inkling girl. "Stop perving on the poor girl!" Thea's face flushed. Jason didn't like that. He shot a glare at Mac, but Mac didn't notice.

"Hey! I'm just offering my help to the newbie here!" Mac cooed with an innocent smile.

"Uh huh..." Lisa deadpanned. She then turned to Thea and Jason. "Sorry about that." The inkling girl apologized. "My name is Lisa and this is Mac. We'll watch your back for you."

"Thanks." said Thea.

"Thea?" Jason said to get her attention. "You want to win?"

"Uh...Yeah?" Thea gulped.

"Then you gotta focus. Splats aren't everything. You gotta get turf coverage, and stay in control. Don't get yourself into risky situations and pull out if you have to. Keep a cool head and trust your team. Ok?"

"O-ok!" Thea gave a thumbs up.

The countdown began. The orange team had a Splat Dualies user, a Roller user, a Sploosh-a-Matic user, and an E-liter user.

"Good luck everyone!" said the Inkling girl.

"Ready?" said the automated announcer. Thea took a battle stance with her weapon and looked back at Jason. Jason smiled and nodded and Thea returned the gesture. She was about to have her first Turf War.

"Set!" the announcer sounded again. Thea's heart started to beat faster in anticipation, and the horrible memories of her days underground came back to her. _"No! I can't think of that now! I need to focus!"_

"Go!" The whistle blew, and the colors flew.

Both teams leaped off their spawn pads and spread out in a competition to make the biggest mess. Thea and Jason headed around the back way to cover ground before engaging the opposing team in the center. The orange team's sniper had anticipated this and was in position to splat Thea and Jason back to their spawn.

Jason noticed the E-liter's laser pointer and pulled Thea behind cover. "Ok, you ink the ground to give us maneuverability, and I'll provide covering fire and move in to take them out." he said. Thea nodded and sprang out of the cover to advance, but forgot to make sure the coast was clear. She was bowled over by the roller and was splatted instantly.

Thea spawned back at her base. It had been a while since her last training session, so she was a bit surprised by the strange sensation of respawing. _"Ok, gotta look before I leap"._

She started her way back down to assist her team, inking uncovered spots as she went. Jason had been able to deal with the sniper and the roller and was battling a Sploosh-a-Matic. Thea jumped in and splatted the 'sploosher' from behind.

"Thanks!" yelled Jason.

"You're welcome!" Thea replied with a smile as she threw a bomb over a ledge to put pressure on an opponent. She ran over and finished off the respawned Roller with her Splattershot Jr. She proceeded to take control of the center area and kept the Dualies at bay. She was having the time of her life.

Thea's special gauge filled up and she activated her Ink Armor. All of purple team gained a glowing aura of hardened ink to protect them.

Jason used this opportunity to push into the orange team's spawn area, the Ink Armor taking most of the blows from the orange team. He splatted most of their team and covered a good amount of turf before the sniper knocked out his armor. Jason took it as a sign to leave the danger zone, and almost made it out, but got splatted by the respawned Sploosh-a-Matic.

Meanwhile, Thea swam to help Mac splat the Dualies user.

"Thanks for coming to help!" Mac yelled.

"You're welcome!" Thea yelled back as she moved in to attack the Dualies user and take the heat off of Mac.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier! I was just joking around!" Mac said as he backed off to reclaim turf.

"It's alright!" Thea grunted as she hopped down a ledge to pursue the fleeing Dualies. "I didn't take it seriously!"

The Dualies user did a double dodge roll back behind Thea, catching her off guard, and then splatted her. Thea was once again sent back to the respawn point.

When she got back she found a fuming Jason. "Jason, are you ok?"

"No. This sniper keeps spawn killing me and I can't jump to Lia or Mac because they're busy battling."

Thea thought for a moment. "I have an idea."

After a brief explanation, Thea swam out in the ink near the spawn. She then popped out of the ink and threw a Splat Bomb at the masked sniper. The sniper instantly splatted her, but Jason used the distraction to get out of the spawn and make his way behind the sniper.

Jason came up around the sniper's perch, stood over him, and cocked his Blaster.

The sniper, hearing the sound looked up and saw the Blaster's barrel pointed at his head. "Ahh pi-"

"Goodnight, Sam." Jason cut him off before pulling the trigger.

* * *

The match ended two minutes later and Judd and Lil Judd declared the winners: Orange Team! Orange had won by only 2.6%. Team and Purple Team exchanged their handshakes and congratulations.

Thea was absolutely ecstatic as they left Deca Tower.

"I take it you liked it?" Jason chuckled.

"Liked it?! I loved it!" Thea exclaimed. "The thrill of the fight without the fear of death or guilt is exhilarating! I was like ratatatata! And you went blam in their face! And the Lia was like "Not today!" and then splat! And It was all just so great! And-and... thank you so much for taking me today!" Thea suddenly grabbed Jason in a big hug

Jason stood stunned by the sudden embrace. _"Holy Port Mackerel! She just_ **hugged** _me!"_ his mind swirled. He thought back to that morning's incident. "U-umm, y-you're welcome Thea." he said as he slowly returned the hug, his face looking more and more like a tomato by the second.

Thea realized she was making Jason a bit uncomfortable and withdrew from the hug. "S-sorry, I didn't-"

"I...uh...It's ok" Jason cut her off. "I was just... surprised." Jason said, now very red in the face.

Jason and Thea walked over too where Mac and Lisa were chatting about their most recent victory. Lisa's face brightened when she saw Thea.

"Hey! You did great out there!" Lisa beamed.

"Yeah, for a first-timer, you sure know how to fight!" Mac commented.

"Where'd you learn?" Lisa asked.

"Umm, the Octarian army?" Thea said sheepishly.

"Man, they must have trained you hard! Maybe you'll have to teach me some of your tricks!" Mac snickered the last part.

The masked sniper came up to the purple team group. "Hey guys!" he said removing the mask. "Good work out there today. That distraction technique was very clever."

"Thanks, Sam!" Jason answered with a grin. "But that was actually Thea's idea." said motioning towards Thea.

"This is Sam?" Thea asked Jason.

"Yup." Jason confirmed. "Sam, this is Thea."

"Looks like the note worked after all." Sam laughed. Jason turned tomato again.

"S-sam! It's not like that." Jason quickly blurted out. Thea was once again confused about the note.

"So how'd you fall for Jason here?" Sam asked Thea.

Thea was now very confused."I-uhh..." Thea stuttered, red in the face.

Jason abruptly pulled Sam aside. "Excuse us for just a moment." Jason said to the others with a forced grin.

Jason and Sam walked away from the others. "Listen, Sam, Thea is only staying with me for a while. She is **not** my girlfriend.

"Since when is she staying with you?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Since last night. She was homeless and I offered to let her stay with me for a while." Jason explained.

"Wait, you only have one bed." Sam realized.

"She's on the couch." Jason said quickly before Sam could open his mouth again.

"So how'd you meet?" Sam asked.

"I kind of saved her life. She would probably be dead if it wasn't for me. Jason subconsciously scratched his neck. "You see those plasters and scratches on her face? The bandage on her hand? It could have been a whole lot worse.

" **You** saved her life?! Now that is a romance just waiting to happen!" Sam laughed.

Jason grunted. "I'm not trying to get into a relationship with her, Sam! I'm trying to help a fellow cephalopod out. I already bought her new clothes and I think I may have a potential job for her in mind."

"You bought her new clothes?!" Sam gasped. "That can't have been cheap!"

"It wasn't, but if it means giving her a new life in Inkopolis, I'd do it again." Jason said with a serious face.

Sam thought for a second. "What about your awkwardness around girls? She isn't just any girl, Jason. She's a **hot** girl!"

"I'm thinking this could be a good thing for me. To help get over my awkwardness." Jason said looking down. "If I could get comfortable living with Thea, I might stop being so...weird. I might be able to get myself a real girlfriend and hold a stable relationship."

There was a long pause between them, where nobody spoke.

"Listen, Sam," Jason continued. "Thea is a very sweet and innocent girl. She had nothing, Sam. Nothing! And I want to give her the life that she couldn't have underground." Jason looked back at Thea, who was talking with Mac and Lisa, happy as can be. "And I would do anything to see that cute smile and those sapphire eyes again." he whispered under his breath.

Sam contemplated all this for a moment. He looked back at Thea. His smirk slowly faded and his face showed more compassion. He put his arm around Jason's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm sorry about teasing you constantly. I didn't know how much this meant to you. She does seem like a lovely girl, and if there is anything I can do for you two, name it."

"Thank you, Sam." Jason sighed, happy to have his friend supporting him. They started walking back to the group "Actually, Sam, remember my birthday dinner I invited you to?

"Yeah?

"I no longer have the food I bought for it. I was wondering if you and your girlfriend could bring a dish with you. I'm going to ask the others to do the same."

Sam smiled and nodded. "I'll ask Jasmine to make something wonderful."

"Thank you." said Jason. "And Sam?

"Hmm?

"Please no more notes."

"Hehe, no promises."

* * *

Jason and Thea played a few more Turf Wars that afternoon before calling it a day. They stopped by the grocery store on their back to Jason's apartment to buy some supplies for the birthday dinner. But Jason didn't tell Thea about his birthday. H wanted to keep that a suprise.

They went home and Jason cooked up a nice, fulfilling dinner.

They also changed Thea's bandages. Inkling and Octoling's skin heal up very quickly, but it would still be a few days till the cuts and bruises cleared up.

They then got ready for bed. It had been a long and eventful day and they were both very tired. Thea laid down, in her new pajamas, on the couch and got comfy under the blankets. Jason was about to go to his room and close the door when Thea spoke.

"Thanks again, for today, Jason." Thea whispered. "I had a great time a-and I really do appreciate everything you've done for me."

Jason peeked out into the lounge again. "You're welcome Thea. I'm glad you had a good time. Tomorrow, we'll find you a job."

Thea smiled at Jason for a while. She then turned and snuggled into the couch and slipped into unconsciousness. Jason stayed and watched her fall asleep for a few minutes. " _Cod, she's just too cute!"_.

* * *

 **I'm back! Sorry, it's been awhile. The turf war scene was pretty hard to write, and I also spent a lot of my time learning how to SFM for the new title poster. (pretty neat huh?)**

 **Again, I'd like to apologize for the mix up in chapter 2. If you read that chapter from Astroneer, please go back and read the proper chapter. It will make this story make a lot more sense.**

 **As always, reviews and comments are always welcome. Let me know how much I suck so I can get better! I'll get started on chapter 6 as soon as possible.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	6. Chapter 6

Jason woke up to his early morning alarm. After getting up and dressing, he left his room, pillow in hand. He walked slowly towards Thea, who was still sleeping on the couch. He held the pillow out in front of him with shaky hands and attempted to tip-toe his way past.

Thea's hand snapped out, grabbed the pillow and pulled it back to her body faster than Jason could blink. Jason jumped in surprise and fell over the coffee table, knocking over the plates and cups that were on it, making a loud crash. The crash made Thea jolt awake.

"W-where's the fire?!" Thea yelled, with her eyes still closed.

"Oww..." Jason groaned on the floor.

"Ah! Jason are you ok?!" Thea panicked when she saw Jason on the floor, gripping his knee in pain.

"Never better!" Jason grunted, though his face said the opposite.

"Do you want help?" Thea got up out of bed.

"No no, I'm fine. Could you please get ready to go out." Jason slowly got up.

"Where are we going?" Thea looked through the window at the sunrise. "And why so early?"

"We'll get something to eat, and then I've got work." Jason said rubbing his back. "I'm also going to see if we can find you a job."

"Ok!" Thea brightened up at the idea of earning her own money. She walked quickly to the bathroom.

Jason recovered from his injury and started to clean up the mess. _"What am I going to do with her?"_ he chuckled nervously in his head.

* * *

An hour later, Jason and Thea entered the Nautical Dinner. It was a 5-star restaurant with beautiful decorations, fancy tables and chairs, and a cozy fireplace. The candles lit on the tables gave the room a lovely smell and the soft lighting and piano music made more a relaxing mood.

"Wow!" Thea marveled as she looked around. "This is where you work?"

"Yup. I take the morning till early afternoon shift. I work as a waiter and a cook." Jason explained.

"Where is everybody?" Thea asked. The restaurant was empty, save for a few employees cleaning and setting things up for the day.

"The dinner isn't open just yet. We're the first here, so we can eat something before I have to get to work."

"This place looks expensive!"

Yeah, it is. It's an upper-class restaurant. It'll cost you a pretty penny to eat here often."

"You don't?" Thea asked.

"I get paid pretty well here, but I'm not rich. The employees do get a set amount of free meals here though. I don't eat here very often so I have a few free meals saved up. So I won't have to pay for your food." Jason explained.

"Awsome!"

Jason and Thea sat down at a table near the kitchen. An Octoling waiter with a fancy white shirt and black vest came and gave them their menus. He had tan skin and sunny, golden eyes. "Good morning, Jason." he said cheerfully.

"Morning, Arthur." Jason greeted him back.

"Who's this fine lady?" Arthur asked, smiling at Thea.

Jason chuckled. "This is Thea. She's staying with me till we find her a job and she can afford rent."

"Nice to meet you, Thea." Arthur said as he poured water into their glasses.

"Same to you." said Thea.

Thea looked down at the menu, and her face fell. "Um, I actually can't read this." She said pointing to the menu, which was in Inkling. "Do you have one in Octarian?"

"Actually, we do!" Arthur smiled. "I'll go get it." Arthur walked off to the kitchen.

Thea turned to Jason. "Nice fellow."

"Yeah, Arthur is really friendly. I don't know him very well, but he's nice to work with." Jason said.

Arthur retuned with the Octarian menu and Jason and Thea placed their orders. While they waited for their breakfast, Thea decided to ask about Jason's job.

"How did you get a job here, Jason?"

"My friend, Sam, used to work here and recommended me. His family his really rich so he was able to get a job in an upper-class dinner. He left the job after about a year to pursue a career in cartography. I was already good friends with him and when he found out I needed a job, he encouraged me to work here. I already was a cook, and I learned service on the job." Jason explained.

"It's hard work, but it pays well. Most of my income goes into a savings account. I'm saving to buy a house so I can rent it out. I also send a large portion of my earnings back home to support my parents. They still have five of my siblings living with them, and they don't earn enough stay comfortable. So me and my sister, who lives on the other side of Inkopolis, send them some cash to keep everyone warm." Jason realized he'd been rambling.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to share my life story," he awkwardly laughed.

"No, no it's alright!" Thea smiled. "I find it really interesting, your story. I think it's really awesome of you to send money home to support your family."

"Yeah, I do love and miss my family." Jason said. "Being able to help them is a great privilege for me. I don't need to live a fancy lifestyle. I get by just fine. I'll be able to live a cushy life when I can rent out a few houses." Jason shook his head. "But enough about me, what's your story?"

Thea's face grew sad. She rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to-." Jason stuttered.

"No, it's ok." Thea sighed and stared into the distance. "My father left my me and my mother when I was little for another woman. We became very poor, only just getting by each day. My mother often went hungry just to pay for my education, and even then, I didn't do so well in school. My mother died to an illness and the army took me into their infantry. It doesn't take a lot of brains to be a walking target." Thea smiled a sad smile.

"I never wanted to kill. I never went on a mission because I only ever did the bare minimum. I was punished a lot because I refused to conform to their twisted ethics. Yet, for some reason, they wouldn't let me go. They wouldn't let me be an innocent civilian and live my own life. I had become a prisoner to my own people."

Thea now had Jason's full attention. He leaned in a bit closer to Thea to listen.

"I tried multiple times to get out, but they kept bringing me back in. Even when the war ended, the part of the army that I was assigned to refused to surrender to the Inklings. While hundreds of my people moved to the surface, I was left behind, trapped underground. Me and many more soldiers were kept away from the outside world."

Thea looked down at the bandage on her hand." When I finally did escape there wasn't anything for me back home, so I fled to your city. Because I wasn't an official immigrant, I was turned down at the border. I couldn't get a residency, so I snuck in. I resigned myself to roaming the city, looking for a job. For several days I went hungry and cold. I was even almost killed by a monster. Nobody would've known me. No would've cared. And then you showed up." Thea finally looked up at Jason and smiled.

Jason sat, listening to Thea's story. He realized how little he knew about what this Octoling had been through. He longed to just reach out and give her a hug. But something held him back, something that told him that he couldn't invade her privacy like that. So he just sat there, with a concerned expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." Thea said wiping away the small tears that had been forming in her eyes. "For getting all emotional. I've moved on now, and I'm putting the past behind me." She said with determination.

Jason nodded and smiled. "Good."

A bit later, Arthur brought them their breakfast. Thea was especially excited about the fancy and expensive looking food served in beautifully designed dishes. The two ate in silence, neither one of them wanting to ruin the mood.

When they finished Thea was the first to speak up. "That has got to be the best meal I've ever had." she laughed.

"Better than mine?" Jason asked cheekily.

"W-well, I mean..." Thea stuttered.

"I'm just kidding!" Jason chuckled. "I know I'm the best chef in the world!"

"Very funny." Thea rolled her eyes.

"Right, well. I have work in a few, but let me speak to my boss first." Jason said getting up and taking their dishes. "I'll be back soon."

"Ok." Thea nodded.

As Jason walked to the kitchen he thought about what Thea had said. _"I have to help her start over. To live a new life, a life that she wants."_

Jason walked through the busy kitchen, greeting his workmates. "Hey, Jason congrats on the girlfriend!" the Inkling girl, Valerie, called out from the vegetable prep area. The comment was followed with giggling from the other girls in the kitchen and a few chuckles from the boys.

" _Dang it, Arthur! Why does everyone keep making fun of me?"_ Jason thought.

"She's not my girlfriend, Valerie!" Jason shouted back without looking behind him. The giggling and laughing continued.

He knocked on the door of the manager's office. "Come in!" came a voice from inside. Jason opened the door to a small, cluttered office with an older, well dressed, Inkling sitting at the desk sipping coffee and doing paperwork.

"Good morning, Jason!" the manager greeted Jason.

"Morning, Mr. Kepton. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time. I have a serious matter to discuss with you."Jason said, his speech becoming more proper and classy. An effect of speaking to a fancy dinner owner.

"Ok, shoot." Kepton said putting down his coffee to give Jason his attention.

"I've taken a homeless Octoling under my proverbial wing, and I'm trying to help her find a job so she can support herself. The city isn't going to help her and I thought you might be able to." Jason explained.

"Is she not an official immigrant?" Kepton asked.

"No. She escaped from the military and has been roaming our streets."

Jason proceeded to relate the story of the past two days with Thea and part of what she had told him about her life underground. He did use discretion for Thea's privacy. Jason doubted she talked about her horrible experiences to just anyone.

When Jason finished relaying his story, Kepton leaned back in his seat and scratched his neck. "Well, that's quite the tale. So you'd like me to give her a job? He asked.

Jason nodded "I was wondering if you could give Thea a part-time job, so she can get some work experience and ease some of my expenses. She can't cook, but I reckon she could do waitressing. It's not a very hard job, and she seems bright and friendly enough to work with people. You wouldn't have to pay her full wage just yet, since she isn't a citizen. She could work alongside me when I have the waiter shift so I could help. She could even do cleaning and work the register." Jason said happily. "The only problem is that even though she can speak our language fluently, she can't read in Inkling."

"Hmm, can't read Inkling..." Kepton raised an eyebrow.

"I have already enrolled her for an Inkling reading/writing class. We'll go to the first one this afternoon." Jason added.

Kepton sat in thought for a minute, leaning in his chair and staring past his desk. Finally, he looked Jason in the eye.

"Jason, this is a high-class restaurant. I only hire the best chefs and waiters I can afford. We are already slightly overstaffed, and I was going to announce some budget cuts." Klepton said in an apologetic manner. Jason looked defeated.

"However, you've always been a model employee and a great asset to my restaurant. I'm going to help you, and Thea." Mr. Klepton said with a smile. "You were due for a pay-raise next week. If you're willing to give up that raise, and she can prove to me that she can be a high-class and dependable waitress, I will hire Thea."

Jason smiled a great big grin and shook Klepton's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Kepton!"

"You're welcome. When can I meet Thea?" Kepton asked, getting up from his seat.

"She's right outside." Jason held the door open for him.

* * *

 **Yeesh, this one was especially hard to write. I'm not good with conveying emotional stuff and backstory. Oh well! That's why I'm writing this. To learn. And for your enjoyment. (I hope)**

 **I'm sorry this chapter was a bit bland. We'll get into the more ''mushy stuff in the following chapters. Wonder what else is in store for Jason and Thea. ;)**

 **You know the drill. Reviews and follows and all that. I really do appreciate all the support from you guys, it keeps me motivated!**

 **In other news, I've decided I like the name, The Little Differences. It's kinda grown on me. Although I'm still open to new title ideas since it doesn't really represent the theme of the story. Ok, I'll shut up.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	7. Chapter 7

Mr. Kepton met and spoke with Thea for a while. He asked her some questions and answered hers. He had her perform a few tasks to demonstrate her competence and problem-solving. Eventually, Kepton decided to hire Thea. After calming her down from an outburst of excitement and 'thank yous', Jason gave Thea her a new waitress uniform: a smart looking white shirt, black bow-tie, and a short black dress.

Both Thea and Jason changed into their work clothes and Jason brought Thea to the kitchen to meet the other employees currently working the morning shift. The kitchen was large and noisy. Steam came from the grills, sounds of chopping and mixing, people walking about and working at their stations.

"You've already met Arthur. He's one of our waiters" Jason said bringing Thea over to where Arthur stood.

"Welcome to the service team, Thea." Arthur shook Thea's hand with a big grin on his face. "I've taken the liberty of notifying everyone of your recent addition to the staff."

"Thank you." Thea replied with excitement.

"There's also Natalie, but she's off today. Other than that there's me and now, you." Jason laughed.

"Valerie over there does raw ingredient prep." Arthur said pointing to the Inkling girl with the pigtail hairstyle, chopping up a pumpkin with a large knife. "Fruits, veggies, meat. You name it, she slices it."

Valerie shot a cheeky glare at Arthur. "And I'll chop that silly fohawk tentacle right off if I find you messing with my apples again!" she yelled with a smirk, emphasizing her point by stabbing her knife into the pumpkin. Thea was briefly reminded of the assault two days ago but shook her head to clear her mind.

"Valerie has a 'unique' relationship with her ingredients." Jason said quietly. "She's quite passionate about her food."

"You're darn right I do!" Valerie yelled again over the noise. "Not just anyone gets to touch my melons!"

Jason sighed while Arthur laughed his lungs out. Thea was oblivious to the innuendo.

"Moving on, Harry here," Jason pointed to a taller inkling by the stoves and grills. "He does meat and frying and grilling."

"He likes to flip his patties up close to the ceiling." Arthur added.

"Yeah, and he has these cool, special meat knives he gets from overseas." Jason commented. Harry looked behind him and smiled at Thea, his face a little red. Thea smiled back. Jason noticed Harry's face, but not the redness.

"Hey, Harry? What's with the black eye?" Jason called over to him.

Harry frowned and turned back to his work. "Crazy party. Stupid accident." He half-yelled-half-grumbled.

"Ok. Hope it gets better soon." Jason said.

Jason and Thea went to the other side of the kitchen to meet the other workers.

"This is Kyle. He's our baker and cook." Jason introduced Thea to a slightly overweight and short Inkling. "He works with all the pastry, pasta, and soup."

"Pleasure to meet you, Thea." Kyle shook Thea's hand. "It is my custom to gift all new employees a little something I've whipped up." Kyle said handing Thea a small package.

Thea was surprised by the kind gesture and opened it immediately. Inside was a jar of cookies with a label. Thea couldn't read it and looked to Jason.

"It says 'Welcome to the crew!'." Jason nodded.

Thea smiled. "Thanks so much, Kyle!"

"Pleasure!"

"And this," Jason said turning Thea's attention to another Inkling girl. "is Emily. She does all the dirty work."

Emily turned from cleaning dishes in the sink to face Thea. Emily was a bit bulkier and looked well built. "I clean deh dishes, cutlery, tables, deh floor, and I take out deh trash and unload deh delivery truck. I ain't afraid ta get ma hands dirdy and I'm able to do all deh eavy liftin'." she said in her strange accent with a smile.

"Yeah, she carries like two large crates at a time! She's like Arnold Squidinator!" Jason joked, earning a laugh from both girls and a light punch from Emily.

"It's nice ta meetcha, Teah. I look forward ta working with cha." Emily smiled and extended her large hand to Thea.

Thea took Emily's hand and shook it, returning the smile. "It's good to meet all you guys. I look forward to working and learning and having fun with you all."

"There are several more staff that aren't here right now. They'll come and take over for us for the afternoon/evening." Jason lead Thea back into the dinner. "For now though, let's get you started!"

* * *

For the rest of the morning till early afternoon, Thea and Jason waited on tables, delivered food to customers and worked the register. Jason was surprised by how quickly Thea picked up on the job. Pretty quickly she was carrying multiple platters at a time and moving swiftly around the restaurant to take orders and take plates to and from the kitchen. She was able to figure out the cash register, despite not being able to understand the numbers and was able to memorize customer's orders so she didn't have to write them down. She was well mannered and kind to the customers and especially good with the kids. All the while, she had a huge, toothy grin on her face.

Later on, after the lunch hour rush, Thea took a break to lean against the wall and ate a sandwich. As she ate she watched the customers enjoying themselves. Her gaze wandered for a bit before landing on a couple sitting at one of the candle-lit tables. They sat holding hands as the male Inkling put a ring on the female Inkling's finger. They both leaned in and kissed. Thea lowered the sandwich from her mouth and watched the couple for a bit, with a curious smile.

Jason looked up from clearing a table on the other side of the dinner and saw Thea taking her break. He followed her gaze to the couple on a date. He looked back to Thea, then back to the couple, then back to Thea. Jason's mind went into overdrive.

Jason gulped at the thought of being closer to Thea. While he had thought of the possibility, he had never taken it seriously. Having a girl living in his small apartment was already awkward and made him uncomfortable. Living with a girlfriend could be a disaster. What if he woke up with her in his bed one morning?! Jason cringed at the picture. He certainly didn't want that. They were too young. His parents would never approve. If something went wrong, it could destroy their friendship. Did they even have a friendship? Did she want to be more than friends? Was she not interested in him at all?

Jason's train of thought became more and more non-sensical. He started to envision less 'family-friendly' things. He was really glad no one could read his thoughts right then.

"Jason? Are you ok?"

Jason jumped three feet in the air in surprise. "AHHH! Arthur!" Jason gasped for air, gripping his pounding heart.

"Sorry, didn't know you were _'that'_ zoned out." Arthur smirked and started setting up the table Jason had just cleaned. "Are you ok? You don't look so good." he asked, referring to Jason's slightly green face.

Jason looked to see Thea get off the wall to get back to work. He cleared his throat and calmed his breathing "Yeah, I'll be ok." Me and Thea's shift ends soon.

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to take Thea to an Inkling reading and writing class. She needs to learn to read and write if she's going to be a waitress." Jason said trying to focus.

"Sounds good! She's been doing a great job today. She'll do even better if she can write down orders and read the numbers for the tables." Arthur continued to set the table up for the next customer.

"Hmm..." Jason sighed in thought.

"Umm, Jason?"

"Yeah?

"I just wanted to let you know, I think what your doing for Thea is really great. I only got started in Inkopolis because someone took the time to care about me and to see you do the same for one of my people, it's really neat of you." Arthur looked to Jason with a smile. "If there's anything you need, I'm happy to help you two."

Jason smiled back. "Thanks, Arthur. Means a lot." Jason paused in thought for a second. "Actually, I don't know you very well. Would you like to come to my birthday dinner by any chance?"

Arthur's eyes widened. "Of course! If I had known sooner I would've gotten you a gift! Would you like me to bring anything?"

"I don't really want presents, but if you could bring something for dessert, that'd be great." Jason laughed.

"I will make my world famous fudge pudding!" Arthur said with a cheeky smile.

"Woah, whoa, whoa! Suddenly your kitchen is the world?!" Jason joked and the two of them laughed.

* * *

Jason and Thea finished work late-afternoon. They decided to walk to Thea's Inkling class, which was only a few blocks away, instead of taking the bus.

"Ahh, the air is much fresher out here." Thea sighed as they made their way along the sidewalk.

"Yeah, the candles in the restaurant give the place a sweet aroma, but it gets a bit heavy after a while." Jason shrugged.

"Mhm, and it's so much brighter out here. The sun makes me feel so free." Thea put a hand up to shield her eyes from the bright ball of burning gas in the sky. She smiled at the sight of the little, puffy, white clouds, dotted about the deep, blue sky. Jason couldn't help but smile too.

Thea had such an innocence around her. She was curious about the world, having lived beneath it all her life. She found even the most trivial things genuinely interesting. She wanted to learn more about Inkling society, discover more about the sun-lit lands she now lived in.

"I guess they do keep it a little dark in there, but that's just to set the mood." Jason commented as they continued walking. "Hey, you did a great job today. You catch on well."

Thea blushed a bit. "Thanks. I tried my best. Was there anything I could've done better?" She turned to Jason.

"Not really. You'll learn to do things more efficiently and where everything goes and what to do in downtime as you go on." Jason reassured. He instinctively reached out to put a hand on her shoulder but hesitated.

 _"This doesn't feel right. I can't just touch her. She might not think of us as friends. But then again, she did hug me yesterday..."_ Jason made up his mind and put his hand on Thea's shoulder. Thea jumped a little bit in surprise but continued walking. They had started walking past some stores and businesses.

"A-And once you can read and write, you can really start earning a lot more. Until then, just continue being nice to the customers and asking questions." Jason smiled.

Thea blushed deeper. Ok. I was worried that I was asking too many questions." she sighed in relief.

"Asking questions is how we learn. If you don't know something, you won't learn by not doing anything about it. If others can't be patient enough to help educate you, then they're just being A-holes." Jason smirked.

Thea laughed. Her walking slowed and she fell behind Jason. Jason didn't think anything of it for a few more steps, but when he realized that Thea was no longer walking with him, he turned back.

Thea had stopped in front of an antique shop and was looking through the window with a distant expression. Jason walked up beside her and tried to follow her gaze. Thea stepped forward, her nose just an inch away from the glass.

"It looks just like it." she muttered quietly.

"Sorry?" Jason asked, puzzled.

Thea pointed to an ornament on display. "I used to have one."

The ornament was a small, golden ball with a swirly pattern and a golden needle sticking through it. It sat on a little purple cushion with golden talons.

"You had one?" Jason asked again.

"It was a gift from my Mom. For one of my birthdays, I forget which. It was the most valuable thing in the world to me." Thea explained softly, still staring at the golden trinket.

"It's a symbol of courage, diligence, of overcoming great obstacles. I have seen a few other people wearing one."

"What happened to your's?" Jason asked, very curious.

"It was lost while I was in the army. I was upset for days. Seeing one here just surprised me for a minute. Brought back some old memories."

Jason decided not to press Thea for more. He could tell it was a sensitive subject for her. She seemed to really hate remembering her days underground.

Thea pulled back from the window, blinking back invisible tears. "I'm ok. Let's go." She started walking again in the direction of the school. Jason hung back for a few seconds to look once more at the golden ornament. He then caught up with Thea and continued their walk to Thea's Inkling class, the gears in his head turning.

* * *

Jason washed the evening's dishes while Thea slaved over her Inkling homework at the bench. The two had gone to Thea's reading/writing class and then went home to eat another delicious dinner cooked up by Jason.

The first class focused on the Inkling alphabet and sounds each character made. They also went over some simple 3-4 letter words and other reading/writing basics.

Thea and Jason were sent home with some study guides and textbooks. The instructions were available in both Inkling and Octarian so Jason didn't have to read everything for Thea.

Thea had done well in the class. She grasped all the concepts and was feeling good about herself. The homework however...

"B-ba, no. Bog? Bog, is that right?" Thea tried pronouncing the Inkling words written on the page with difficulty. "Is that right?" Thea held up the paper for Jason to read. They had spent most of the evening going over basic reading and learning about how all the characters worked. Thea was beginning to get more and more frustrated with the tricky second language.

Jason finished up with the dishes and dried his hands. "Dog." he corrected. "The 'b' and 'd' look similar.

Thea let out a groan. "Uuuugh, this is way harder than I thought it would be! There are so many things that make no sense! Why does 'c' and 'k' make the same sound, but only sometimes?! Why does the 'e' make the 'wowels' change?!" she whined into her hands.

"Vowels." Jason corrected again.

"Whatever!" Thea groaned again.

Jason chuckled and walked over to sit next to her. He reached over hand put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's fine. It's part of the learning process. You are gonna have some difficulty. Coming to a new city and learning a whole new language is quite an undertaking."

Thea looked at Jason, her hands and face soaked with tears. She looked like she was going to break down. Jason bit his lip. He had not expected her to be so upset about failing.

"B-but you know what? Everyone struggles to learn something as complex as language. Surely you remember learning Octarian? It's not easy learing one language, let alone two! Even I had difficulty writing! I couldn't hold the pencil straight!" Jason chuckled.

Jason took a pencil and quickly wrote somthing out in beautiful linking calligraphy. Thea couldn't read it but could tell it was two sentences and was written with amazing handwriting.

"If all the other Octolings living in Inkopolis could learn Inkling, so can you!" Jason rubbed Thea's shoulder.

Thea took a moment to consider what Jason said. She looked at the words Jason had written. They seemed like unintelligible squiggles on the page. She wanted so badly to understand them. She wanted to find her place in Inkopolis and fit in with society. And she would never if she gave up now, on the first night, just because she was getting frustrated.

"Ok." Thea said quietly. "I'm going to try." She sniffed and wiped away her tears.

Jason nodded "You've done plenty for the day. We should get some sleep. We have another big day tomorrow." Jason got up and started cleaning the bench.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking." Thea looked up at him with those beautiful sapphire eyes. "Would you consider us...friends?"

Jason paused for a moment. "Is it something you'd like to be?"

"Um... Yeah." Thea nodded sheepishly. "I was just thinking that after all that's happened, all we've done, all that we've talked about... I think I would like to be friends."

Jason's heart flipped upside down. Never had a girl outright asked him to be their friend.

"Thea, I'd love to be your friend." Jason smiled warmly.

"Ok, thanks." Thea sighed. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom real quick." she got up and walked to the bathroom.

"Sure. You go do that"

When Thea closed the bathroom door Jason bolted for his room to have a 'freak out' session. Unbeknownst to him, however, Thea was having one, herself, in the bathroom.

* * *

 **Ok, so I'm sorry for disappearing for so long. I'm not going to give an explanation for why I took a break, but honestly, you probably don't really care. (Stuff got in the way, lack of motivation, laziness.) I'm sorry.**

 **I really didn't know what I was doing until Chigger came along and was like "Yup, it's good, here's what you could do to make it better." And I was like "Wow! Thanks, Chigger! I should probably get back to that." (Do check out Chigger's series. It's seriously the best. He was my main inspiration for getting into writing fanfiction)**

 **Really my main motivation was that I wanted to release the birthday scene on my actual birthday, which begins in like 2 minutes. Would've been cool like "Oh! Dash is 17 and Jason is 17! Wow! So clever!" But now that's gone, because of me. (Duh!)**

 **Oh well. Lesson learned. I do hope this super long chapter makes up for the super long wait. My longest chapter yet at over 3000 words! No? Ok.**

 **But I'm still determined to finish this. Thea and Jason are too important to me! I want to see this through! There's still so many surprises and cool stuff to show you!**

 **Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! It really does help to keep me motivated since I'm not that great at self-motivation. You can review to let me know what you thought of the chapter(s) (or wish me happy birthday) and follow me or the story for updates and alerts for new chapters.**

 **Ok, I'm done self-promoting and whining about disappearing.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	8. Chapter 8

Jason woke up feeling hot and sweaty. He moved his sheets off of him to let cooler air flow over his body. A smile grew on his face as he remembered what day it was. He dragged himself out of bed to start his day and headed to his bedroom door, then did a double take went back to get his pillow. "Just in case." he thought.

Jason opened his bedroom door and peeked outside. He was surprised to see that Thea was not sleeping on the couch, but instead was slouched in a chair, at the kitchen counter. She had her blanket wrapped around her and her head was resting on the countertop amongst the mess of homework papers. A faint snoring escaped her.

Jason tip-toed over to where Thea slept, armed with his pillow. The air was hot and humid. The thermostat must've reset in the night. It had happened a few times before.

Keeping his distance, Jason looked over Thea's shoulder to examine her homework. He saw the Inkling writing exercises she was given. She had to write the same letter along the line, over and over again. Eventually, she would get through the whole alphabet and both cases.

The characters she wrote started out crude, but slowly getting cleaner and neater. After a few pages, Thea's handwriting looked almost exactly like the examples. Jason smiled at the pages. Thea must've stayed up late to do so much work. She was really committed to learning Inkling.

Jason then looked at the page number and his eyes widened. Thea had done three days of homework in one night! Jason was impressed that she actually did that much work but was concerned about her ability to function on so little sleep. Three evening's work in one night was quite an undertaking.

Suddenly, Thea snatched the pillow from Jason. Jason once again jumped in surprise and collapsed, hitting his head against the counter on the way to the floor. He cried out in pain before forcing his beak shut. He really didn't want to see what a sleep-deprived Thea would do when she was woken up. Thea didn't wake up in a panic though. Instead, she simply continued to sleep against the counter, with the pillow now under her head and wrapped up snuggly in a blanket, despite the warm conditions of the room.

Jason rubbed his head and got up. She didn't have a panic attack so maybe she was fine? He cautiously reached out and gently shook Thea's shoulder. "Thea? It's time to get up."

Thea, at first, didn't respond. After a bit more shaking she slowly brought her head up and opened her eyes. She yawned and looked up at Jason. "M-morning." she greeted the Inkling groggily.

"Hey. We need to get ready for work. What do you want for breakfast?" Jason said warmly, trying to ignore his throbbing head and the glowflies in his stomach.

"Could we-Ah-HAAAAA-have pancakes again?" Thea yawned mid-sentence.

"Sure!" Jason smiled. "But first, uh... how long did you work on handwriting last night?" Jason picked up a sheet of paper with Thea's writing.

Thea blushed a bit. "I-uh, I lost track of time." she grinned sheepishly. "L-last time I checked it was... 1am-ish?."

"Well, you did a really good job!" Jason complimented with a raised eyebrow.

"Thanks." Thea nodded and blushed deeper, still half asleep.

"Ok, well we're going to do something special today, so you'll have to wake up now." Jason chuckled.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Thea asked with a smug face.

"It's my birthday!" Jason grinned.

It took a second for the statement to sink in for Thea. Then, "What?!" Thea jumped in her seat, sleepiness completely gone. "Why didn't you tell me?! I didn't get you anything!"

"Whoa, whoa! You don't have to get me anything, Thea!" Jason tried to calm the frantic Octoling.

"B-but... It's your birthday!" Thea stuttered. "You've done so much for me and I wanted to get you something to show my appreciation and- "

"And all I want from you is to celebrate with me." Jason interrupted the rambling Octoling with a chuckle. "I've invited a few of my friends over for a sort of birthday dinner. I need to set some things up after work today and I'd like your help. I thought you'd like to meet some more of my friends and just have some fun with us." Jason explained.

"A-are you kidding?! I'll make sure it's the best birthday dinner you've ever had!" Thea giggled with excitement, eyes sparkling. "When can we start?!"

Jason chuckled. "After work! Let's get going!"

Thea threw her blanket off her, hopped out of the chair, and went to her drawer to grab some clothes for the day. She then turned back to the bathroom but froze when she saw Jason frozen at the kitchen, wide-eyed and scarlet red. Thea went red too as she realized her mistake. She had taken her pajamas off in the night because of the heat and fell asleep before putting them on. Now she stood, in the middle of the lounge, in her underwear.

Thea was so embarrassed and terrified she locked up and didn't dare move a muscle. Jason caught himself staring and immediately forced his eyes up. The few seconds of silence that past felt like hours to the two red cephalopods.

Finally, Jason broke the silence. "U-um...Wha...I-I'm...going to...to fix that t-thermostat." he stuttered out and turned to go to the control panel on the kitchen wall. Thea covered herself and walked briskly to the bathroom.

Jason banged his head against the wall. "Oooooooooooh _NOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

* * *

Jason and Thea began work at the Nautical Dinner. Jason was greeted with friendly smiles, handshakes, and birthday cards from his co-workers. Some of them brought some small gifts to work. Emily and Harry gave Jason some cash and Valarie gave him a large bar of Jason's favorite chocolate. Jason was very grateful to his colleagues for their generosity but his mind was elsewhere.

Work that day was rather awkward for Jason and Thea. Neither of them wanted to talk about that morning's incident. They avoided eye contact, kept conversations brief and work-related, but they couldn't escape reality. Both Jason and Thea made mistakes that morning, but they both blamed themselves entirely.

They needed to talk, Jason knew that. After work. He would apologize and make it up to Thea. He couldn't let an accident ruin their friendship. He would make her some more pancakes, and have a chat about it. They would handle the situation like mature Inkling and Octolings. That was the plan. He couldn't live with the guilt forever and he was sure that Thea wanted to sort things out too.

"Jason?"

"BAAAAH!" Jason jumped. Arthur laughed at the startled Inkling.

"Wow, again?" Arthur got out between laughs.

"Huh?" a flustered Jason asked.

"The same thing happened yesterday!" Arthur reminded Jason. "I scared you while you were off in another world." Arthur faded his voice away as he said that last part for dramatic effect.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jason hung his head and got back to work stacking plates into a cupboard. "I'm a bit preoccupied."

"Yeah, I could tell." Arthur chuckled. "Hey, is Thea ok?"

"What?" Jason looked up again.

"She seems… I dunno… a little down?" Arthur talked a bit softer. Jason looked behind him and saw Thea stacking napkins into a trolley. She didn't look upset but she certainly wasn't her usual, cheery self. Not smiling, not talkative, but not frowning or grumpy. Just, closed off.

"Uhhhhh, yeeeeah…" Jason cringed. "We had a bit of an 'incident' this morning."

"Is she gonna be alright?"

"I… don't know…" Jason sighed. "I'm going to try and smoothen things out tonight."

"Good." Arthur approved. "We still good for tonight?"

"I don't know. I'll give you a call if I can get everything sorted."

"Ok. Will do."

* * *

The door to Jason'sapartment opened and two exhausted cephalopods walked in. Jason set some more supplies for the birthday dinner on the kitchen counter. Thea sat down on her couch/bed and picked up an Octarian book and started to read without a word. She might've gone to her room and locked herself in if she had one.

Jason sighed and sat down on the vacant coffee table between her and the tv. Thea didn't look up from her book. Jason ran his fingers through his tentacles and composed himself.

"Thea?" he asked quietly. Thea didn't respond. Jason bit his lip and tried to think about what to say. He decided to go with his gut.

"Thea, I'm very sorry about today." Jason said quietly and lowered his head. "I really goofed up this time. I should've been more careful. I know I stared too long. I should've gotten that thermostat fixed or given you my room and..."

Jason looked up again. Thea still hadn't looked up from her reading. Her once lively sapphire eyes were glistening with tears.

 _"Great. Now I've made things worse."_ Jason got up to give her some space.

Jason it made halfway to the kitchen when he felt (and heard) a sobbing Thea grab him from behind and pull him into a gentle hug.

"J-Jason! I'm so, so, so sorry! It's all my fault and I've ruined your birthday!" Thea was full on crying now. Her voice was cracking as she sobbed into Jason's shoulder.

"I was stupid to stay up so late and to take my top off a-a-and now I made the day so miserable and I wanted to say something but I didn't know h-how and I'm just so sorry!"

Jason, not knowing what else to do, returned the hug and gently rubbed Thea's back to try and calm her.

"I've been nothing but trouble ever since I came here! I shouldn't have come to your city and-"

"Hey!" Jason cut her off. Thea stopped blabbering and pulled away a little to wipe her nose with her sleeve.

Jason grabbed Thea's shoulders. "You are not being a burden! I brought you here so you could start over! I got you clothes, a job, Inkling classes, because I want you to succeed! I want you to be happy."

"B-but I caused you so much embarrassment!" Thea trembled. "Those mean girls... your friend Sam, and you said that you're uncomfortable around girls!"

Jason paused to think about what to say next. He wanted to be honest. It was true that having Thea around brought him much discomfort. But he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"W-well yes, there have been a few...uh..." Jason thought back to the morning after he had brought Thea home. "Mishaps?" Thea's face fell. "But I would gladly go through it again to know you and to be your friend."

Thea looked up again. She had that adorable smile that Jason just loved. Jason smiled too. His own eyes watered up a bit. They didn't say anything more for a little while. Finally, Thea spoke.

"I'm sorry for what you've gone through to help me. I'm sorry for not being open and honest. And I'm so thankful for your help too. I might have died out there, if not for you." Thea wiped the tears from her eyes.

"And I'm sorry being so weird and awkward. And I'm sorry for not talking about this. I know you when through a lot and causing you stress is the last thing I want." Jason ignored his screaming brian and pulled Thea into another hug. "I'm going to try and be more honest and respectful to you."

Thea sniffed again. "Me too."

"Are we cool now?"

Thea giggled. "Yes, we're cool!"

"Good. Do you still want help with my birthday dinner?" Jason asked as they broke the embrace.

"Yes! Of course! I want to help you have the best birthday ever!" Thea exclaimed, cheerful once again.

"Ok." Jason nodded. "We've still got a few hours. Here's the plan..."

* * *

Jason and Thea spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and setting up for Jason's birthday dinner.

They moved Thea's couch/bed and the coffee table into Jason's room. Jason hired a large, folding, plastic table from the apartment facilities and set it up where the coffee table was. With the couch out of the way, there was a lot more room for guests. He also hired some foldable chairs to accommodate more people as he only had three chairs at the counter.

Thea dusted furniture and shelves while Jason vacuumed the floor. They wiped down the kitchen and bathroom. While Jason's apartment wasn't the cleanest in Inkopolis, it didn't look like a man cave either, so the cleaning work was light.

Thea helped Jason prepare a large salad and a batch of spring rolls. She enjoyed learning how to cook. It was something she had never learned in her home or in the army.

Jason then showed Thea how to fill and tie balloons and introduced her to the joy of helium. After having some fun with voice changing gasses they hung up multi-colored steamers, set up colorful lights and candles, and prepared the table for dinner.

Once all was ready, the two tired cephalopods took a much-needed break. They watched some tv and worked through some more of Thea's homework. Thea didn't have as much trouble with her reading/writing as the previous night. With Jason's help, they plowed their way through the exercises.

By then, both Thea and Jason's moods had turned around completely. They were once again cheerful and happy to be in each other's company. The events of that morning almost completely forgotten.

Almost.

Finally, as the warm sun dipped under the horizon, their first party guest arrived.

* * *

 **Welp! I'm a terrible person!**

 **Maaaaaaaan! I put this off for waaaaaay too long!**

 **Ah well. It's not like any of you really care when this gets updated. :')** **There are so many other stories uploaded on this site, you couldn't possibly read them all. How'd you even find this one!? It's more a self-esteem thing for me.**

 **I feel like dirt for disappearing. I miss the days when I would upload every day. Then again, those chapters were terrible and I had to go back and update them. I think it's better if I take my time to keep the quality up to standard.**

 **Well, once again, I'm increasing the number of chapters. This one was supposed to have the events of the party/dinner/whatever it is. But as I write, new ideas just flow and all of a sudden, more plot points and deeper lore form in my head. I had no idea this one story would be so long! We're only about halfway!**

 **I have so many other cool stuff I want to put in here that just won't fit with the main story arc. I think after this one is done, I'll start a series of shorts. Maybe some of them with reader cameos if this gets enough attention. Can't get in over my head though, so, for now, I'll stick with TLD. (That's my unofficial abbreviation for this story's name).**

 **We'll get into Jason's birthday dinner next time. Then what?**

 **Oh, my friend...**

 **Then some stuff goes down!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocke** **t**


	9. Chapter 9

' _Ding Dong'_

"I'll get it!" Thea called out to Jason, who was getting changed in his room. He wanted to be nice and sharp for his birthday dinner. Thea hadn't bothered to get changed and was quite content to be in a casual, light pink shirt and jeans.

Thea walked briskly to the apartment door and opened it to the awaiting guests. Opening the door revealed an Inkling couple dressed in sharp clothes. The guy had a black suit with a jacket and tie. He had an orange bowl cut and hazel eyes. The lady wore a matching, sparkly, black dress that reached her knees. She wore black high heels and had fiery red eyes to match her pink tentacles, which were tied in a bun. Both of them were carrying some foil-wrapped dishes and the man held a wrapped birthday present.

Thea smiled warmly at the two, but they had a look of confusion on his face. "Oh, sorry." the man apologized. "We must have the wrong room. We're looking for Jason?"

Thea realized that these guests were not expecting an Octoling to answer Jason's door. "Oh no! This is Jason's! You're at the right room, come on in!" Thea held the door open and motioned for them to come inside. The couple stepped inside and took a second to take in the surroundings.

The small apartment was dimly lit by the candles on the table and colorful lights on the walls. The plastic table in the living space was covered by a decorated, blue tablecloth and the plates and utensils were already set out. Streamers hung from the ceiling and helium balloons floated in the corners of the room. Wonderful smells were coming from the brighter kitchen.

Thea closed the door behind the new arrivals and greeted them properly. "Hello, my name is Thea. Jason is just getting ready."

The male Inkling smiled and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you, Thea. My name is Nelson and this is my fiancée, Mel."

"Hi!" Mel smiled. And gave a small wave.

"Nice to meet you two! How long have you known Jason?" Thea asked to make conversation.

Nelson spoke up. "I've known Jason since school. We lived in the same neighborhood and were close friends. When we moved away from each other we stayed in touch and sometimes visited each other. I don't see him very often nowadays, so this birthday dinner is a big occasion for me." Nelson gave a goofy smile. He seemed friendly enough.

"Nelson introduced me to Jason a few months ago." Mel added. "This is only my second time seeing him."

"Oh, that's awesome!" Thea said enthusiastically. She then remembered the items the guests were still holding. "Oh! You can leave the gift on the counter there and is that for dinner?" Mel nodded. "Then I'll take that to the kitchen." Mel handed over two trays for Thea, who set them on the stove, which was obviously powered off. Nelson took the gift and a smaller plastic container to the counter.

"Can this go in the freezer?" Nelson asked still holding the plastic container.

"Sure thing!" Thea nodded and took the container from Nelson and put it in the freezer at the bottom of the fridge.

"So, Thea, you're staying with Jason?" asked Mel.

"Yeah, just till I can get back on my feet." Thea placed the container in the ice cold freezer.

"I don't remember Jason saying anything about having a girlfriend." Nelson remarked as he continued to look around the apartment.

Thea blushed a bit and shook her head. She opened her mouth to correct Nelson but was interrupted by a loud thump followed by a loud, muffled " _Owwwww!"_ from Jason's room. All heads turned to Jason's door. Jason emerged, gripping his knee and grimacing. Thea guessed he had tripped on the coffee table.

He was wearing his waiter's uniform. White shirt, black vest, and red tie. His side-swept tentacle was hanging in his face. When he recognized Nelson and Mel he pushed the tentacle back in place, stood up straight on one leg and tried to play it off cool.

"Ahem!" Jason cleared his throat and raised his finger. "She's not my girlfriend." he announced.

There was an awkward silence as Nelson, Mel, and Thea stared at Jason for a second before laughing at Jason's silliness. Jason joined in, unable to contain his laughter. Nelson and Jason came together for a hug, as old friends do when they haven't seen each other in a long time. While Thea was glad the confusion was cleared up, she somehow felt a little pained when Jason effectively 'friend-zoned' her. She wasn't sure why but she decided to let it go for now.

"Happy birthday, Jason!" Nelson congratulated as he and Jason broke the hug.

"Yes, Happy birthday, Jason!" Mel joined in and hugged Jason. Thea couldn't stop a giggle as she watched Jason's face go red from being hugged by a girl he hardly knew.

"T-thanks guys! Glad you could make it!" he got out. "How was the trip up?" He went over to the tv and connected his phone to the sound system.

"A little long, but we did some fun things along the way." Mel replied.

"Yeah! The Wahoo World theme park is a great time!" Nelson chipped in. "I don't know why we've never been before!"

"Well, that's awesome!" Jason said as he looked for a good song to start the night with. "What else has been going on? Have you picked a date for the wedding?"

Nelson and Mel beamed. Mel slipped her hand into Nelson's. "We've decided on four months from now." said Nelson.

"We don't have an exact day yet." Mel added. "But we'll let you know as soon as we do."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it!" Jason said as he tapped his phone. An upbeat electro song started playing through Jason's sound system. A few minutes of casual conversation passed before the next guest arrived.

* * *

' _Ding, Dong'_

Thea again opened the door and was surprised to see an Octoling face. It was Arthur. He was dressed in his waiter attire like Jason, but he used a dark purple tie instead of the red one to go with his purple tentacles. He too was carrying a gift and two covered dishes.

"Oh! Arthur!" Thea exclaimed. "I didn't know you were invited!"

Arthur smiled weekly and gave a small wave. "Hi, Thea! How are you?" Arthur asked. He was still a little worried about Thea from earlier.

"I'm good. Come on in!" Thea showed him inside to where Jason, Nelson and Mel were talking at the table.

"Ah, Arthur!" Jason welcomed Arthur with a handshake.

Arthur gave a nervous smile. "Hi, Jason. Happy birthday...again."

Jason laughed "Guys, this is Arthur." Jason introduced Arthur to Nelson and Mel. "He's a work colleague."

"Hello, Arthur!" Nelson greeted.

"Hiya!" Mel shadowed.

"Arthur, this is Nelson and Mel. Nelson is a childhood friend and Mel is his soon to be bride." Jason smiled. Mel blushed a little and Nelson grinned ear-to-ear.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two." Arthur shook their hands.

"So what do you do, Arthur?" Mel asked.

"I'm a waiter at the restaurant Jason works at."

"Oh, really?" Mel raised her eyebrows. "How long have you been working there?"

"Oh, only a few months." Arthur answered. "Jason had already been working there for a while. But I had the afternoon/evening shift so I hardly saw him. I got transferred to the morning/afternoon shift a few weeks ago."

From there the conversation continued. Jason, Arthur, Nelson, and Mel talked for a little while about all kinds of stuff. Thea mostly sat and listened, only occasionally quipping in to ask a question or to answer one. Jason, at first was worried that she was feeling ignored or left out, but the genuine smile on her face said otherwise. She was enjoying talking and listening to Jason's friends. Especially the stories Nelson told about the mischief he and Jason would get up to as kids.

* * *

' _Ding Dong'_

Thea opened the door again to see Jason's friend Sam and an Inkling girl she didn't recognize. In their arms, they held some more gifts and dishes of food.

"Hi, Sam!" greeted warmly.

"Hi, Thea!" Sam grinned wide. "Are we late?"

"No, no, not at all. Come in!" Thea brought them inside.

"Ah, Sam!" When Jason saw Sam he got up from his seat and gave his best friend a great, big bro hug.

"Hey, big man!" Sam laughed, returning the hug. "Happy birthday!"

Jason ended the hug and took a step back. "You look good!" Indeed, Sam did look good. He was wearing an expensive looking suit jacket, tie, and shoes. "Where'd you get all that?"

Sam stuck his nose in the air all snobby and prideful. "My super-rich mother and father gifted it to me! The suit belonged to my great, great grandfather when he was young!"

Jason laughed. He knew his friend was messing with him.

Sam cracked and told the truth. "Nah, I hired it. Was a pretty expensive hire though."

Jason turned his attention to Sam's lady partner. She had dark blue tentacles that hung from the sides of her head. She had several jewelry bracelets and a golden necklace. She also wore a navy blue dress. The kind of dress without the shoulder straps. The kind of dress that showed just a little more than Jason was comfortable with.

"And you must be, Jasmine, was it?" Jason greeted her, being careful to keep his eyes up.

"Yes, that's me." Jasmine smiled and shook Jason's hand. "It's great to finally to meet you, Jason. Sam has told me all about you."

Jason blushed. "Nothing too personal I hope." he said glancing to Sam, who was grinning widely.

"Well...uh...how long have you two been dating?" Jason asked.

"About three weeks." Jasmine said nonchalantly.

Jason couldn't believe it. "Only three weeks?! You look like a pretty established couple for just three weeks!"

"We where good friends for a while before we started dating."Jasmine explained, humored by Jason's surprise. "I've had feelings for Sam for a little while, but the feelings only became mutual recently."

Sam nodded his head. "She'll be starting a course on meteorology next year. She's been with me for a while and one day I got the 'hots' for her. Dunno why, but we've been getting on pretty well as a couple so far."

Jason was bewildered. "Wow, I'm way out of the loop! I had no idea you had been in a relationship for that long!"

Sam smirked. "Hey, that's what happens when your not active enough on social media!" He whipped out his phone and brought up a picture of him and Jasmine walking on the beach, holding hands. The picture was dated from a week and a half ago.

"Heh, heh...yeah..." Jason laughed sheepishly. It was true, Jason wasn't one to be on social media 24/7. He only used it when necessary for work, catch up on the news and to watch videos.

"Hey, Jason!" Nelson called. "Going to introduce your friends?"

Jason realized he had not introduced Sam and Jasmine to the others. "Right, sorry! Sam, Jasmine. This Nelson, my childhood friend, and Mel, his fiancée." Jason pointed to each person respectively.

"Hello!" Mel waved.

"And this is Ar-"

"Heeeeeeeey...I know you!" Sam interrupted.

Arthur was surprised. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah, you're a waiter at the Nautical Dinner! You're in your waiter's clothes and everything!" Sam laughed.

"O-oh!" Arthur began to laugh. "Yeah, I work with Jason. I'm wearing these because they're my best clothes."

"Same here." Jason quipped in.

Sam nodded. "Hmmm, makes sense. Well, you didn't serve us when we were there last week. Another waitress did."

"Must've been Natalie." Arthur shrugged.

Jasmine caught Thea's gaze. "Hello there! You're Thea...right?"

Thea smiled and nodded. "Yup, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Jasmine."

"Likewise!"

* * *

From there, there was some time for more conversation. Jason, Sam and Nelson had a chat together at one end of the table, mostly about work, turf wars, games, and stuff. Jasmine and Mel talked about whatever girly things that girls talk about at the other end. Thea and Arthur went over to the kitchen and talked about something in Octarian. Jason didn't know what about, but he was busy with Sam and Nelson and he reckoned that Thea would be fine with Arthur. She wasn't being included in many conversations or asked many questions, but she seemed to be having a great time.

Eventually, they moved on to the ever tempting birthday gifts. Jason wanted to get them out of the way before dinner. He also was just excited to open them, but he wouldn't admit that. They all gathered at the table and the small collection of boxes that sat in the center.

Mel went first. Her gift to Jason was a set of wireless earphones. Something Jason definitely wouldn't spend on himself. Eager to try them out he opened them up and put them in his ears. He connected his phone and was about to start playing music when an automated voice informed him that the earphones were out of battery power and were about to shut down. Everyone had a good laugh and Jason thanked Mel for the kind gift.

Nelson gave his gift next and opening it revealed a fancy shirt and jacket, not much unlike the one Sam was wearing. Jason put the jacket on and while it was a little too big, he assured Nelson that he would go back to the store to trade it for a smaller one. Sam made a joke about Jason "Finally joining the rich kids". Another good laugh for the group and Jason thanked his longtime friend for the present.

Arthur then presented his gift. Jason tore away at the wrapping to discover a box of Jason's favorite hot chocolate brand and a poster for a band that he liked. Arthur said that got the gifts based on the brief conversations that they had at work. He said that he really appreciated Jason being so friendly at work because he didn't have many friends and that being invited to his birthday dinner was a real honor.

Jason was touched by Arthur's heart-warming message. He thanked him profusely and thanked him for the gifts and for attending his birthday dinner.

Sam eagerly pushed his gift towards Jason now. Jason was pleasantly surprised to see a copy of a new video game that he had been wanting and a merch sweater based on the game. Jason took the game cartridge out of its case and popped it into his game console at the tv. "For later!" he said. He then put the themed sweater on over the jacket from Nelson, making him look bigger and rounder. More giggles and jokes ensued. Jason thanked Sam for the gifts and challenged him to a game later on.

Jasmine handed her gift over to Jason. Opening it revealed a new set of stainless steel cutlery and a mug with the words "I woke up like this and I'm proud of it!" printed on the side. Jason jokingly asked everyone to help set the table using the new cutlery and Arthur said he'd get the menus and asked what kind of sarcasm Jason wanted for his meal. Jason thanked Jasmine for the wonderful gift she had given despite not even knowing him.

Jason was about to get up and announce dinner when a small pink and white birthday card was put before him. Jason raised his eyebrows and looked up to see Thea had placed it there. She looked a little nervous, looking around the others to see if she was intruding. Jason was surprised that Thea even had a card for him. He picked up the card, opened it and started reading.

" _Thank you again, Jason. For everything. You're the nicest Inkling I've ever met. You've done so much for me and I can never repay you. My life has been misery until now. You've given me the opportunity to start over. A chance to change my life for the better. I'm going to do my best to help you in any way I can and start anew in Inkopolis. I'm glad to have you as a friend. My first real friend. Happy birthday, Jason!"_

 _Dictated by Thea.  
Transcribed by Arthur._

Jason could already feel the tears forming in his eyes. _"So that's what they were doing over there!"_ Short, simple, sweet and written in decent Inkling handwriting. Jason felt his heart melt for what felt like the millionth time in the last few days.

Jason looked up from the card and saw that adorable smile and those beautiful eyes. Thea had an expectant look on her face, waiting to see if Jason liked her meager birthday gift.

Jason bit his lips. _"Do I do it? Should I do it? Can I do it?"_ The internal conflict eating away at him. He had to act fast. The world wasn't waiting for him.

Finally, _"Screw it!"_ Jason pulled Thea into a hug. His face went a little red knowing that everyone else in the room was probably really confused.

Thea was surprised that Jason would hug her. "D-did you like it?" Thea asked quietly.

"I loved it!" Jason answered softly. "Thank you so much, Thea."

"You're welcome!" Thea nearly whispered.

The two hugging cephalopods stayed like that for a little bit. Over Thea's shoulder, Jason saw Sam making kissy faces. _"NO WAY!"_ Jason mouthed to him, turning red, much to Sam's amusement. Nelson was trying desperately to stifle his laughter and Mel and Jasmine were _"dawwing"._ Arthur just had a big grin on his face. Jason mouthed a thank you to him. Arthur nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"Uh...Jason?" Thea whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I-it's getting a bit late. D-do you think we should start dinner now?"

"Oh! Right! Sorry!" Jason exclaimed as he pulled away from Thea suddenly. He stood up straight, shook away the red in his face and cleared his throat. "Who's hungry?"

"Me!" everyone in the room raised their hands.

* * *

 **Sorry about the wait on this one. Life has been a bit busy and I had to rewrite this chapter multiple times. I wanted to fit all the events of Jason's birthday dinner into one chapter, but there was just to much stuff to cram in there so I'm splitting it in two (Once again raising the number on chapters).** **So about a third of the next chapter is already written so the wait for the next one shouldn't be too long (That's what she said).**

 **I've decided that I'm going to give this story a proper rewrite when it's done. There are lots of small things that I can change to bring the quality up. I'm still going to finish this story first, don't worry.**

 **Also a big thanks to Shy Guys Toast, who left such a nice review last time. I would've messaged sooner but I can't unless you sign in when you review. (Also nice reference! Brings back memories)**

 **Enough rambling. Time to hit upload. Review for my sanity and follow for updates yadda yadda yadda...**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	10. Chapter 10

Jason's apartment smelled amazing. Rich, sweet and savory aromas rose from the covered dishes on the candle-lit table. There wasn't a dry mouth at the table as seven cephalopods eagerly awaited the coming meal.

"Alright, everyone!" Jason rose in his seat. "I won't keep you waiting much longer." he smiled at Nelson eyeing up the stew. "Just before we begin, I'd like to raise a toast." Jason announced.

They all filled their glasses with sparkling grape juice (most of them were too young for alcohol) and raised them together.

"To continued friendship!" Jason grinned.

"To continued friendship!" everyone repeated.

"And happy birthday, Jason!" Sam added. The group laughed and repeated.

And with that, they drank and dug in. Lifting the covers off the home-made dishes just made the beautiful aroma in the room all the stronger.

Jason and Thea had made a salad and spring rolls that afternoon. Sam and Jasmine brought sushi and a beef stew. Mel and Nelson brought stir-fried veggies and a dish of lasagna. As promised, Arthur brought a mouth-watering fudge pudding which went well with Mel's home-made ice cream.

The next half-hour consisted of more talking and laughing and eating delicious food. Thea got to try some that she had never even seen before. Everyone was having a great time. Jason was so happy that the day turned out for the better. The worries of the morning seeming insignificant in the company of good friends. He was glad Thea and Arthur were fitting in well. Arthur turned out to be quite funny and although Thea didn't talk much about herself, she was constantly asking questions, eager to learn more about the lives and experiences of the surface dwellers.

Eventually, as the conversations continued on, Jasmine turned to Thea. So, Thea? What brought you and Jason together."

Thea was surprised that anyone would ask for her side of the story. Nobody had brought up the incident that had brought her and Jason together. She subconsciously touched the bandage on her cheek. "Uh...well... It's a bit of a long story." She smiled shyly.

"Well, can you shorten it?" Jasmine pressed on. Nelson leaned in to listen and Arthur halted his conversation with Mel. All eyes were suddenly on her.

Thea gulped. She had not expected the conversation to shift to her. Jason knew that Thea didn't really want to talk about her past but decided to let her decide what to do. He wouldn't admit it, but he was curious to learn more about Thea too.

"Uh..." Thea turned to Jason. "Should I start at the beginning or from where we met?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Jason sighed. "You can decide. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Don't be stressed about it." he answered.

The nodded meekly. "Ok."

"Well, I grew up in a small town called Kelp Trench, which was one of the two towns in dome 12B. I was quite separated from the rest of the Octarian world, much less the surface. My Dad worked in the military as a low-rank officer and my Mum was a retail worker. We weren't a very well off family. My Dad was so busy with the military that I almost never saw him and he didn't even make a lot of money. My Mum basically just worked to help pay bills and put food on the table."

"I was a nobody. I had no friends at school. I didn't play any sports and I didn't have any talents." Thea's eyes threatened to water but she held the tears back.

"I didn't do well in school and was bullied a little because of it. I spent most of my time playing with my toys by myself when I was younger, but when I got a little older I decided to try and improve myself. So I learned proper manners and how to work and be a useful member of our society." Thea paused to look around the room. Everyone was watching her, all listening to Thea's background.

"One day, when I was around 12, my Mum told me that Dad had left us. He had divorced my Mum for another soldier in the army. My Mum, conveniently, got fired from her work a few days later for some stupid reason. Dad didn't do a thing. He refused our pleas for help and cut all contact from us. Mum found another job that kept us alive and I ran small errands around town to scrape change together." Thea's head lowered. Jason became worried and started to wonder if he should cut the story short, but he was also so curious about Thea's past he wanted to keep listening.

"A-and then..." Thea's voice hitched. "M-mum got really sick. I took her to the hospital... but she died a few days later." Thea choked, still trying to hold it together. Jason was sure he saw a tear run down her face. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Arthur and Mel were visibly upset, Nelson, Sam, and Jasmine kept straight faces but were still concerned. A lightbulb clicked on in Jason's head as he thought about what Thea said, but he didn't say anything.

"The...uh...the army found me and took me in as a trainee." Thea sniffed and wiped her nose with a napkin. "It was around the time that DJ Octavio was arrested the first time. I...uh...I didn't do very well in the army!" Thea forced a chuckle and tried to smile. Everyone else chuckled a little to ease the tension but they all knew Thea wasn't really happy about it.

"I failed most of my tests and exams. I was quite disobedient to my superiors. Got myself into a lot of trouble." Thea smiled, thinking back to the time she swapped some of the dud splat bombs with live ones.

"The military life just wasn't for me. I never when on any real missions. I was miserable there. But no matter how much trouble I got into, they wouldn't kick me out. No matter how much I begged, they wouldn't let me go back to civilian life. I think the higher-ups were determined to _'fix'_ me?" Thea continued with a pained expression.

"When Octavio was arrested a second time I was sure I would finally get out. The army was dissolving and many of my colleagues were leaving to go back to civilian life. But, I was drafted to a new location. Another secret training facility. I don't know why they took us there. There was nothing I could do about it."

"The training was even more brutal than the previous place. I was in constant pain and fear. It made no sense to me because the war was over and Inkopolis was accepting peaceful immigrants. I did try to escape a few times. And each time landed me in solitary." Thea looked briefly at her audience at the table. Each one intently listening to her story. She was a little embarrassed but continued.

"One day, with the help of another soldier, I got over the fence undetected. Then I ran like heck! I ran all through the night. I reached the nearest city hoping to find refuge, but the police had been notified of my escape and I had to leave. I evaded them long enough to stumble my way to the surface and I lost them in a forest.

"With nowhere else to go, I decided to seek refuge in your city. But because I wasn't selected for entry, I was turned away at the border checkpoint. I knew I couldn't go back to the Octarians, but the Inkling society might've turned out to be more accepting. So I snuck in under the chassis of a car using my octopus form." A few eyebrows in the room were raised at that detail.

"I spent a few days in a park, eating food scraps and sleeping under a tarp on benches. Then I got kicked out and roamed the streets for a while. The cold nights were starting to really get to me, and I was looking through the trash in an alleyway, when..." Thea paused and her face became blank. Her eyes became distant and her lip started quivering. Jason knew where this was going. He was about to say something when Thea kept going.

"H-he saw me in the alleyway." Thea's voice shook. "He wanted my money. I told him that I didn't have any but he wouldn't believe me. He threatened me with a knife and said that if I didn't have any money then he would have to be paid in 'another way'." Thea cringed. Jason's eyes widened. He hadn't heard that part of the story.

Thea shook her head and cleared her throat. "I tried to run, but he grabbed me, so I fought back. I never did well in hand-to-hand combat training so I didn't get away unscathed." Thea pulled her sleeve to reveal the bandages on her arm. Some of the guests leaned in closer to see the bandages and plasters on her arm and face.

"I did hold him back for a while though. Got a few good punches in, one right in the eye. But he wasn't fazed and pinned me to the wall, ready to slash my throat." Thea looked up at Jason and cracked a small smile. "And then a brave Inkling came in just in time."

All heads turned to, a now very red-faced Jason. He gave an embarrassed smile and tried to shrink away in his seat.

"J-Jason?." Stuttered a bewildered Nelson.

"Heh heh, yeah..." Jason looked down and rubbed his neck.

"What do you mean, Thea?" Arthur asked with confusion.

Thea smiled again. "I mean that Jason saved me from becoming sushi."

"H-how is that possible?!" Nelson was shocked to hear that his shy little friend from school somehow fended off a mugger.

There was a moment of silence while everyone waited for Jason to explain himself.

"Come on! Out with it!" Jasmine tried to convince him to tell.

"U-uhm... well..." Jason struggled to find the words. "Y-you guys remember I asked you all to bring some food to share?" All the guests nodded. Of course they remembered. "Well...that's because I did have food for tonight...but I threw it all... at the mugger." Jason winced. He didn't know why but for some reason he felt like everyone would get mad at him.

Sam burst out in laughter. "Bwhahahaha! Y-you mean you just threw all your food at a guy with a knife?!"

"Yeah?"

Everyone was laughing now. The thought of Jason throwing all his groceries at someone with a knife in a dark alleyway was just hilarious.

"That is so dumb and stupid and funny!" Jasmine was gripping her stomach in pain as she laughed.

"W-why would you do something like that?!" Nelson asked and almost fell over in his seat.

"It really happened though!" Thea backed Jason up after calming down from her own laughter. "He just started throwing stuff from his bags until the guy had enough and ran away!"

"Ok, Ok. But that still doesn't explain why you're here." Mel said, still giggling a little.

Jason decided to explain. "She didn't want to go to the hospital and she had nowhere else to go. So I offered to let her stay with me. And now she's been living here for the last few days."

"Oh wow! What a score!" Sam snickered. Jason shot him a warning glare.

"Have you gone to the police?" Nelson asked. "The person who did this might still be out there."

"We don't have any evidence and the guy had a hoodie on so we don't know what he even looks like." Jason explained.

"Well, whoever this creep is, I hope they eventually catch him. He deserves to die!" Jasmine slammed her fist on the table.

"Ok, maybe a little extreme, but yeah, this guys can't be allowed to roam free, preying on homeless girls." Sam rubbed his chin.

"Can we please change the subject?" Thea asked shyly.

"Right, sorry." Jason agreed. He knew this was a touchy subject for Thea. Everyone else agreed to change the subject of the converstaion.

"Ok then. Now, can we talk about these clothes." Jasmine pointed to Thea with mock disgust on her face.

"Huh?" Thea looked down at her pink tee.

"You bought them for her?" Jasmine asked Jason.

"She picked them. I just paid for them." Jason nodded, thinking about his poor, hungry bank card.

"Ok, well these won't do."

"What do you mean?" Thea asked a bit offended.

"Look at how everyone else is dressed!" Jasmine exclaimed. She moved over to Thea and grabbed her shoulders, startling the Octoling. "You can't be a fancy dinner party wearing something so...so...drab!"

"I-I'm quite fine with my clo-" Thea tried to get through but was cut off by Mel.

"She's right, Thea. The clothes you're wearing now are quite..." Mel hesitated for a moment. "Basic. And you definitely need some makeup."

"Makeup?!" Thea panicked. She had never worn makeup before and wasn't sure she wanted it.

"Yup! And lucky for you, I have some in my bag." Jasmine beamed, ignoring Thea's reluctance.

"Where do you keep your clothes, Thea?" asked Mel. Thea hesitated before pointing to the drawer cabinet against the wall where she kept all the clothes that Jason had bought for her, plus her armor. "Ok, thanks" Mel got up and walked over to it.

"That settles it then!" Jasmine pulled Thea out of her seat and started dragging her towards the bathroom. "C' mon let's get started!"

"Wait, what?!" Thea resisted. She was not ready for a makeover.

"We're gonna fix you right up for your boyfriend's birthday celebration!" Jasmine proclaimed as she continued to pull Thea toward the bathroom.

"B-but I-

"No 'buts', Thea! It'll be fun! Just give it a chance!" Mel reassured. She finished going through Thea's clothes, picked a few items out and joined the other two girls in the bathroom.

The bathroom door slammed closed, leaving the four boys alone at the table. All four with wide eyes after witnessing that ordeal. "Heh...girls. Am I right?" Sam joked.

"I'm not her boyfriend." Jason muttered.

Jason snapped back to reality. "Ok, well if you're all done with your dishes I'll clean up."

"I'll help you with that." Nelson offered.

* * *

As the girls had some time in the bathroom the boys cleaned up after dinner. They folded the table away and put it against the wall. All the dishes and cutlery were put in the dishwasher or left in the sink to soak. The leftovers were sealed with new foil and put aside.

While Jason was a little worried about Thea. Jasmine seemed a bit pushy and Mel went along with it but hey, what did he know about girls? The faint sounds of giggling and protests coming from the bathroom were drowned out by the music on the sound system.

As Arthur and Nelson finished stacking the chairs, the music changed over and Arthur's ears perked up. "Awww yeah! I love this one!" He cheered.

Jason looked up from the dishes in the sink to listen to the music. It was an upbeat electro swing with a lot of synth and some rock and orchestra mixed in too. He hadn't listened to it much but hearing it now, it was truly a toe-tapper.

"Yeah, I know this one! Absolute banger!" Sam agreed. He started doing a little jig to the music. Jason laughed at Sam's silly dance moves but before long he caught himself bobbing his head and tapping his fingers against the countertop. Rather than stopping himself, he embraced the beat and turned up the music from his phone.

Nelson decided to get moving and started dancing on the open floor where the table once was. His dancing was a little better than Sam's. His moves flowed nicely into each other and he was able to keep in better time with the rhythm.

"Oh oh! A challenger approaches!" Sam laughed. He then stepped up his game and busted out some more expressive movements.

Seeing the coming dance-off, Arthur shrugged and joined in the fun. He started using moves that employed his Octopus form. Switching back and forth between his two states so creatively, it was quite a spectacle to watch.

Just then, Mel emerged from the bathroom with the widest grin. She joined the others on the dance floor and started dancing with Nelson. Jason had stayed in the kitchen not really wanting to embarrass himself with his dance moves if you could call them that. He wondered how Thea was doing.

As if one cue, Jasmine emerged with Thea in tow. Thea had a flushed face and kept her head down. She was wearing a light green blouse and tight blue jeans with a belt around the waist. She had silver hi-heels on her feet. Jason noticed that Jasmine was now barefoot. The tips of Thea's fingers and toes were painted with bright red polish. Jason had to do a double take while looking for the bandage around her arm. It was gone. Her wounds were almost completely healed.

Thea turned away from Jason and the others and whispered to Jasmine, "I don't like this! I feel like a doll!" Jason couldn't hear her over the sound of the music and the other cephalopods dancing.

Jasmine whispered back, "C'mon, Thea! Live a little! This is your chance to show off to Jason!"

"I'm not trying to show off to Jason!" Thea hissed back, red in the face.

"Listen, Thea. I don't know everything about what you've been through, but you've been through a lot more carp then you deserve. You should have more fun! Have a normal life for a change!" Jasmine said in a hushed voice. She smiled and turned Thea around to face Jason. "Now go get'em!"

Thea looked to Jason and tried her best to smile. Jason was absolutely floored. She had red lipstick on and some other facial makeup on to smoothen her face. She had a golden necklace hanging from her neck and a flower pin in her ponytail band. Most importantly, the bandages on her face were completely gone. Jason could barely see what was left of Thea wounds.

Jason felt something different. Different to what he had felt before around Thea. His face still heated up. He still gulped hard. The awkwardness was still there. He still got the glowflies in his stomach, but-

Thea wasn't just cute anymore. She was beautiful.

Gulping down his fears, Jason walked over to Thea, but once he got there, he couldn't form any words. So the two stood there awkwardly for a moment.

Finally, Jason found his voice. "You look nice!" He blurted out with a cheesy smile. Thea half-giggled-half-huffed. "Really, I mean it." Jason chuckled.

"Thanks." Thea relented. "You too."

Another moment of silence. Jason saw Jasmine making a shooing motion behind Thea. Jason decided to give up on the small talk. "D-do you want to dance?"

Thea wouldn't have if she hadn't been asked but dancing did admittedly sound fun. She just wasn't so sure about dancing with Jason. Remembering what Jasmine said, Thea nodded. "O-ok." She said with hesitation.

As Jason and Thea entered the dance floor, Nelson turned off the apartment lights. The room was only lit with the colorful lights along the wall. Now they had a real party going.

Jason and Thea started dancing with the others, slowly at first, but the encouraging cheers from friends and the rhythm of the music sunk in they got more into it. Before long everything on two legs in the room was dancing to the beat. Twists and turns, trading places and partners, dips and bows, it was a wild time.

At one point, as Jason was moving in the general direction of Thea, he tripped over his own feet and bowled into her. Thea didn't see Jason stumbling towards her until he was an inch away from her face. Jason ducked his head at the last second and grabbed Thea's shoulders to steady himself. They butted heads but nothing was seriously hurt. They apologized and moved on.

Eventually, the pumping song that had sucked everyone in had to end. It was replaced by a slower, relaxed tune. But rather than slowing down and stopping, the group of dancers kept going, not wanting the good times to end. After a few more minutes they did stop and applauded each other.

For the final event of the night, the seven sweaty cephalopods brought the couch back into the living area and settled down under some blankets and pillows for a comedy spy movie. Jason sat with Thea at one end. Thea surprised Jason by snuggling against his shoulder. Going against the screaming voice in his head, Jason wrapped his arm around Thea and she just snuggled closer. Sam leaned over and made another kissy face. Jason smiled and gave him a rude gesture with his free hand.

"Did you have a good birthday, Jason?" Thea whispered.

Jason smiled. "The best!" he whispered back. "Did you have a good day, Thea?"

"The best!" came the quiet reply.

About half-way through the movie Arthur decided to head home. He needed enough sleep for work the next day. He thanked Jason and Thea for the hospitality and fun before leaving. Soon after, Nelson and Mel got ready to leave. Sam and Jasmine left at the same time. All of them shook hands with one another, thanking each other for the wonderful evening. Thea returned Jasmine's shoes and Mel's necklace and flower pin.

After walking the last of the guests out the door and saying their final goodbyes, Jason and Thea settled back on the couch to finish the rest of the movie. Even after the credits rolled, the only sounds in the room came from the couch as the two cephalopods drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **See I told you this wouldn't take as long!**

 **Wow! Longest chapter yet! This one hurt my brain to write. Romance is tough to write. It's impossible to write perfectly!**

 **So in this one, we got more info on Thea's background. Lot's details in there that will be important later on. The carp hits the fan next time though :)**

 **There was a mishap at some point where I re-uploaded chapter 7 as chapter 9. If you didn't read the proper chapter, please for the love of Cod go back and read that one! It will make this chapter make so much more sense!**

 **Thanks again for the support and good feedback. Really helps with my moral when I'm descending so far down into lore that I fear I may never finish this fic!**

 **You know the drill. Review for brownie points, follow for updates.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket.**


	11. Chapter 11

Jason awoke to the sound of his phone alarm. Without opening his eyes, he reached over to grab his phone and shut it off. But he wasn't on his bed and his phone was in his pocket, not his bedside table. And his phone certainly wasn't this soft. Or round. _"So what the heck am I holding?!"_

Something stirred beside Jason. Surprised, the squid opened his eyes. He nearly screamed but bit his tongue to stay quiet. He very quickly retracted his hand. _"_ _Did I just..._ _But I..._ _Oh Cod!"_ His worst fears had come true. He had fallen asleep on the couch beside Thea. And it wasn't like she was in his bed. Jason was in hers!

Jason tried to get up but quickly discovered that he was stuck between Thea and the back of the couch. _"_ _Oh no, not this carp again!"_ Thea was on her side facing Jason, lightly and contently snoring, and unconsciously leaning against Jason with her arm over his waist. This caused the uncomfortable squid to turn a darker shade of red with every passing second.

She was somehow still sleeping through the soft alarm in Jason's pocket. _"_ _Must be catching up on_ _yesterday's_ _lost sleep."_ Jason reached down and just barely grabbed his phone. He shut off the alarm. Still no movement from Thea.

Jason lay there for a little while, not sure what to do. He didn't want to wake Thea up again. He had learned his lesson on waking her up a few times now. But they needed to get ready for work for the day and Jason didn't think he could take the position he was in much longer.

Beginning to panic, Jason franticly searched for something to help his situation. Out of desperation, he stuck his hand between the couch cushions. Jason didn't know what he expected to find in the couch, but what he did find made him eternally grateful for his Nana.

With some effort, Jason rescued the yellow squid plushy from the jaws of the couch. How and why it got in there didn't matter. What was once a source of great embarrassment was now Jason's only hope of getting out without waking Thea.

Jason slowly moved the yellow plush towards Thea. He put it against her chest. He flinched when Thea unconsciously snatched the plush from his shaking hands and rolled slightly away from Jason. He was free! And she was still sound asleep.

Jason sighed in relief. _"_ _This girl has sleeping issues."_ He inched his way up the back of the couch, being very careful not to touch Thea. He was almost out when he grabbed the wrong pillow on the head of the couch. He slipped and fell right on top of the sleeping Octoling. _"_ _Oh carp!"_

There was a loud screech followed by a dull thud as Jason met the wall...face first. "What is it?! Where are they?! How'd they get here?!" Thea jumped off the couch and looked franticly around for the danger. Her eyes landed on the groaning heap on the floor. "Ah! Jason! Are you ok?!"

Jason was face down rubbing his nose. He raised a hand and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, I'm good!" came his muffled reply. _"_ _How can such a sweet girl have such terrible sleeping habits?!"_ He thought.

"Are you sure?" Thea asked with concern.

"Mhm hmm." Jason groaned. He felt something trickle out of his nose. He wasn't sure if he was bleeding before or after the wall. "Can you get ready for work while I make breakfast? I thought we could go turfing with some friends after work."

Thea perked up. "Really? Awesome!" The cheerful Octoling hopped off to get ready for the day. The yellow squid plush dropped to the floor in-front of Jason.

Jason stared at the plush for a moment, then slowly got up, cradling his nose. _"I have to tell her. Everything._ _But...how?_

* * *

"How could this happen?!" Jason raged, swinging his blaster wildly. Thea was laughing. Sam was laughing. Jason wasn't laughing. The three were walking out of Deca Tower, having just finished a game.

"Three splats?!" Jason continued his rant. "How could I have gotten just three measly splats?!" He pointed a finger to Thea. "And you got 13?! What kind of sick training did they put you through?!"

"I don't know!" Thea got out between her laughter. She spun her new favorite ink weapon, the Dualies around her fingers. "I just aim and pull the trigger!"

"Bullsquit! There's no way you lucked your way through that!"

"Hey, Hey!" Sam interrupted, barely containing his laughter. "Try not to get splatted every few seconds next time!"

"They must've been using some illegal gear! They were moving way to fast to be using standard gear! And I swear that sniper was using bullet time or some other superpower carp!" Jason rattled on. He was clearly very salty about their last game.

"Dude." Sam stopped him with a grin. "I'm a sniper. I would know when someone is cheating, or when they just have good reflexes."

"You don't like losing very much do you, Jason?" Thea giggled.

"I don't have a problem with losing!" Jason hissed through his teeth. He was starting to calm down but was still very much full of salt. "I just hate that I'm no good at Turf Wars!"

"Well, we've been going at it for a while now. We should take a break." Sam shrugged. "Look, there's Arthur!" Sam pointed to a table in the middle of the Square. Sure enough, Arthur was sitting at the table, waiting on them. He was browsing on his phone and sipping on a latte.

Jason huffed, tying to calm down. "Ok. Let's take a break. I'm hungry anyway."

Jason, Thea, and Sam walked over to Arthur's table. "Oh hey, guys!" The Octoling greeted. "How's the turfing going?"

Sam laughed. "Going as in going back to spawn base? Yeah, in that case, it's going!" Jason just grumbled something about snipers.

"Ooooh...so not that bright?" Arthur winced.

"Yeah, we're going to take a break and get something to eat" Jason sighed.

"Ok, sounds good." Arthur nodded.

"What are we going to eat?" Thea asked with an eager voice and that adorable smile.

That darn smile. Jason couldn't help but smile too. "What do you guys feel like?" he asked.

"Pizza!" Sam said quickly.

"A burger sounds nice." Arthur quipped up too.

"Pancakes!" Thea bounced.

Jason laughed, the sour mood fading fast. "Ok. Well, we probably could get everyone's favorite. How about me and...um...Arthur get the food?" Arthur perked up. Jason pointed to Sam and Thea. "You two can take a break while we're gone."

"Sound's like a plan." Sam nodded.

"Sure!" Arthur grinned and got up out of his chair, stretching his arms out. "I was getting bored anyway."

"Why don't you join us for the next game?" Thea offered.

Arthur thought for a moment. "Eh, it's not really my thing but...sure. No harm in trying. I'll join you guys next time."

"Awesome!" Thea grinned.

"Here's some cash for the pizza and a drink." Sam handed Jason some cash.

"Thanks! We'll be back soon" Jason pocketed the cash and turned to leave with Arthur, but looked back over his shoulder. "Hey, behave!" He ordered with a serious face, pointing between Sam and Thea like a parent scolding their children.

Sam hung his head in mock shame. "Ok, Ma..." Thea giggled at this

Jason laughed and left the square with Arthur. Sam let out a big sigh as he eased into a seat at the table. He propped his feet up on the chair next to him. Thea sat down across from him and watched the business of the city.

"So, Thea, how's work going?" Sam asked.

"Oh, it's not bad!" Thea smiled at Sam. "It's fun, actually! I like working with people. Especially Octolings. Speaking in my own language every once in a while is nice."

"I bet it is!" Sam nodded. "Living in a foreign city must feel a bit weird sometimes. You certainly seem to be distracted by it a lot!"

Thea laughed and nodded. "Yeah, Inkopolis is definitely more lively than my old town...or the training base." She mumbled that last part.

"Ah...yeah..." Sam realized he'd better change the subject. "Soooooo...I hear you're taking Inkling classes. How's that coming along?"

Thea brightened up. "It's difficult for sure! Your language is definitely harder to learn on paper than by ear!"

Sam laughed. "Really now? Well, everyone thinks learning to read and write is hard."

"Yeah, I was struggling for a while. It's frustrating work." Thea broke into a wide grin. "But Jason is doing a good job of keeping me sane!"

"Ha! There's no way you can stay sane for long with that silly squid! I'd go crazy after just a week!" The two of them laughed.

When they had calmed down, Sam spoke again. "Well, I get to hear a fair amount of Octarian in the city. I'm curious about the written format. Can you show me what it looks like on paper?" He

"Uh...sure!" Thea beamed. She wasn't expecting to get to talk about her language or culture. Especially since, in Inkopolis, Octoling immigrants were expected to respect and learn Inkling culture and traditions.

Sam grabbed a few thick napkins from a nearby restaurant table and produced a pen from his backpack. He handed them to Thea. "So...um...where do I start?" Thea asked, not sure what to do.

"How about you start from the beginning?" Sam shrugged. "Show me you're alphabet?"

"Ok." Thea nodded. She wrote out each letter of the Octarian alphabet, naming them off as she went. Sam watched as she printed each character. They didn't look like anything from the Inkling alphabet. Strange characters and symbols. And strange names to go with them. Sam scratched his chin. He was completely lost.

Thea finished writing out the Octarian alphabet. She then wrote something else. It looked like a sentence. "What's that mean?" Sam asked.

"It's an Octarian greeting." Thea grinned. "See, here's my name." She pointed to a word in the sentence.

"That looks really cool!" Sam smirked. "Can you write something else?"

Thea laughed. "Of course I can!"

It took Sam a moment to realize the absurdity of his question. When he finally got it he laughed too. "Oh sorry! I didn't mean it that way!"

"It's fine!" Thea waved it off. "What do you want me to write?"

Sam thought for a moment before chuckling again. "How would you order a pizza in Octarian?"

* * *

Jason and Arthur were walking along the side-walk, meals in-hand. Large pepperoni and onion pizza for Sam, fresh and hot pancakes for Thea, and a burger and fries for Arthur. Said Octoling was already munching away on his fries, sharing with his Inkling friend. They had just one more stop to make. Fish 'n' chips for Jason.

"S-So," Arthur struggled to get out between his snickers. "James looks at Barry with the same wisp of a smile and says, 'Could've been worse. Could've happened to me!'" Both Arthur and Jason broke into laughter.

"Pffffft! Wha?! That makes no sense!" Jason laughed.

"Yeah, but it got you laughing so it worked!"

Jason laughed again. "True, true!"

Jason and Arthur had been exchanging stories and jokes as they walked to each destination. As they conversed and got to know each other a little better, Jason found himself liking the Octoling more and more.

Arthur was quite intelligent and witty. He wasn't a very flashy in-your-face, life-of-the-party kind of guy. He was more like the cool dude that stays humble and likes to be friendly for the sake of being a good person. He tried to stay positive with humor and cheerfulness. A quality that Jason wished he had.

"How many jokes do you have?!" Jason asked, still snickering.

"Too many!" Arthur grinned. "My favorites are the long ones. The ones with a long set-up before the punch-line. That way the punch-line hits hard. It sounds like a normal story and then BAM! Laughter!"

"That's really clever! Do you come up with them?"

"Oh I've made up a few. But I mostly just repeat ones I've heard. They're hard to get just right." Arthur shrugged.

"Heh, I bet!" Jason agreed. The two walked in silence for a bit. "Hey, Arthur?"

"Hmm?"

"Just wanted to let you know, you're a pretty cool dude." Jason smirked. Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise. Jason continued, "I'm sorry I didn't pay you much attention when we first met. I was kind of shy of Octolings and I'm sorry if I made you feel ignored or left out."

Arthur listened to Jason with a smile.

"Hanging out with Thea has helped me a lot with my awkwardness...I think. A-and now that I've gotten to know you a little better, Arthur...You're just such a cool dude." Jason chuckled and Arthur joined him.

"Thanks, man!" Arthur nudged Jason's shoulder with his. "Means a lot. I don't have many friends here and I'm so lucky to have you as one!"

As they continued their walk to the store to pick up Jason's meal, Arthur watched Jason turn his head as they walked past an antique shop. "Jason?"

Jason kept his gaze on the antique shop. He was silent for a moment. "Arthur, you can go on ahead. I need to see something."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Uhh...are you sure? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine...Just ask for Jason's order. I've already paid on my phone." Jason walked back to the shop.

"Uhh...ok" Arthur stood confused. Jason closed the door behind him and Arthur was alone. He sighed and continued the walk to the fish 'n' chips store.

* * *

Sam drummed his fingers along the table. He was leaning against his hand, propped up by his elbow. Thea sat in the chair across from him, practicing her Inkling alphabet. Their conversation had ended a little while ago and now Sam was bored.

Sam glanced at his phone to check the time. He sighed. In reality, Jason and Arthur hadn't been gone for long, but when you're mildly hungry and craving pizza, you could experience the passage of time differently from everyone else.

Sam racked his brain for something to do. He had already caught up with all the news and social media on his phone. He couldn't see anyone else that he recognized at the Square. He couldn't think of anything to talk about with Thea. So he sat there, slumped on the table, doing nothing.

Suddenly, a smile slowly crept across his face. A mischievous smile. He had struck an idea.

"Thea?" Sam asked for the Octoling's attention nonchalantly.

Thea looked up from her writing. "Yes, Sam?"

"How are things going with Jason?"

The tapped the pencil she was borrowing against her chin. "I'd say it's going well. He's really nice to me and he's provided me with everything I've needed."

"Oh really?" Sam asked with sarcasm so clear any Inkling would instantly know that he was up to something. But Thea wasn't an Inkling, nor was she fully used to the way Inklings spoke. "How nice?" Sam asked.

Thea was a bit confused by the question. Nevertheless, she tried to answer truthfully. "Uhhhh... I think pretty nice? He's bought me clothes and food and got me a job. He listens to me and he's helped me through some problems."

"Well, do you think he "likes' you?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Again, Thea was confused. "Do you mean as a person?"

Sam mentally facepalmed. "No, no. I mean, does he 'liiiiike' you?" Sam stressed the word to be more clear.

Thea blush and looked away. "U-uhmmm...I guess? I-I don't know. Maybe? He did say he has an awkwardness around girls. Maybe that's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Sam continued.

"O-oh he just acts a little weird...sometimes." Thea explained. "I've just shrugged it off. Everyone has their little quirks."

Sam again pressed on. "Oh? What sort of weird stuff?"

"Well..." Thea thought about all the mornings she'd had at Jason's place. She thought about how each time he was in pain and/or on the ground. She had thought such behavior extremely weird or worrying but had ignored it as a personal issue for Jason. She didn't want to upset him.

But now that Thea thought about it, Jason had never returned to his bed last night. In-fact, what had happened that morning was very similar to Thea's first morning in Jason's apartment. These thoughts lead Thea down a tunnel of realizations. The tunnel led all the way back to the military camp and all the bad memories of the life she was trying so hard to forget.

Sam watched as Thea's face went serious. She was thinking hard. Just what he wanted.

"A-actually...Jason has been really weird at times." Thea admitted. "B-but he's so nice the rest of the time!"

"What if he's only nice that to make up for his awkward moments?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"N-no! He's just being nice because...because..." Thea struggled to find an excuse.

"Because that's his plan." Sam finished for her. Thea gave him an odd look.

"He wants you to trust him. He wants you to think he cares." Sam leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms behind his head, closed his eyes and sighed. "He does this every once in a while. He gets a kick out of it or something I don't know"

Thea was now completely lost. "What are you talking about?"

Without opening his eyes, Sam continued with a big grin. His prank was coming along nicely "Jason of course! He takes in girls like you, befriends them, gains their trust. Then, he bangs 'em when they least expect it."

Thea tilted her head. "He...what?"

Sam opened one eye to see the confusion on the poor Octoling's face. He mentally facepalmed again. Of course, she wouldn't understand the slang. "He 'gets frisky in bed with them.'"

It took a second for Sam's words to sink in. Thea connected to dots and figured out what Sam meant. She tried applying that to Jason and suddenly, it all just added up.

"Wait, what?!"

Sam didn't think he'd ever seen such a red face. He could've sworn he saw Thea's normally turquoise tentacles turn purple for a second. The look of shock and embarrassment on the flustered Octoling's face was priceless. Sam wanted to burst out in laughter, but that would ruin the prank. He needed just a little more time.

"B-b-but w-what about the clothes he bought me?! They must've cost so much! A-and what about Inkling classes? And getting me a job? Why would he do all that?" Thea sat in disbelief.

Sam leaned his head back into his hands, still grinning like a fool. "Like I said. He wants to gain your trust." He shrugged. "As for money, he's actually quite wealthy. That job at the Nautical Dinner pays really well. He just doesn't live a wasteful, rich lifestyle and saves everything."

Thea's head swirled. How could this be? Had Jason really been planning to take advantage of her this whole time? Surely there must be some explanation for this!

"He hasn't tried anything with me!" Thea again tried to defend Jason.

"Oh please!" Sam chuckled. "I saw him make a move on you at the party last night. He just missed the lips!"

Thea frowned and her face flushed again. "No! T-that was an accident! He tripped and fell on me!"

"A purposeful accident." Sam grinned, eyes still closed. "People do stuff like that all the time!"

Thea thought she was losing her mind. She didn't want to believe what Sam was saying, but he was making sense. Had Jason lied to her? Had he really befriended Thea because he wanted to 'bang her'? After everything they had done, after everything they had gone through, everything they had talked about. Could she really trust Jason?

"B-but why would he...I don't-" Thea was starting to break down. Running her fingers through her tentacles, she started to question everything. Her mind was racing to figure out what was going on. She had one last hope.

"B-but...H-he saved my life!" Thea was close to tears.

Sam again shrugged, unaware of the internal conflicts going on in Thea's head. He was simply enjoying how well his latest prank was going. "You were vulnerable. He saw a chance and he took it!" Sam opened one eye and looked at Thea. Time for the finishing blow. "Besides, I'm sure with a rack like yours, he just couldn't resist!"

Thea's face was already so full of blood she couldn't get any redder. She subconsciously covered her chest out of embarrassment. She was breathing fast and heavy. She didn't know who to trust. Who was telling the truth and who was telling the lies. She wanted Sam to be wrong. She wanted him to be wrong so badly. But it wasn't looking very good for Jason.

Sam finally opened his eyes and sat up straight. He was struggling to hold back the laughter, unaware of the turmoil in Thea's mind and the tears threatening to break from her eyes. This had to be his greatest prank yet. But now was the best part: revealing the prank!

"Pfffffffft-hahahah!" Sam laughed the hardest he'd laughed in a while. "Thea, you-"

"Hey, guys!"

Sam and Thea's attention was drawn to Arthur and Jason, who were quickly walking up to them. They were carrying the food they had ordered. Sam saw the pizza box and nearly forgot about Thea. "Grub's here!" he waved them over.

Arthur threw his now empty packet of fries in a nearby bin and ran up to the two at the table. Jason trailed behind, carrying most of the food, a serious expression on his face. Something clicked in Thea's head. When she saw Jason, she didn't brighten up like she usually did.

Sam was reaching for the pizza from his chair even as Jason was walking up. Jason laughed at his silly friend. "Sorry about the wait guys, I wanted to get somthi-" Jason noticed Thea's state. Her face was red and she was shaking. She looked like she was going to burst into tears. "Thea? Are you alright?" he asked with a frown.

Thea couldn't take it anymore. She quickly got up from her seat and tried to run, but she tripped on the chair's leg. She fell to the ground with a 'thump' and a cry of pain. "Thea!" Jason moved toward her to help but she quickly got up and ran for one of the Square's exits.

"Thea?! Thea! Wait!" Jason called out for her but she just kept running in a blind panic. He turned to Sam for answers. "Sam, what happened?"

"Whoa! She doesn't take jokes very well!" Sam blinked in surprise.

Jason narrowed his eyes. "What?! Sam-you!" Jason looked back to Thea. He saw her run through and exit, bumping into people along the way. Jason slammed food he was holding on the table and took after her. "Thea, wait!"

Sam and Arthur were left at the table. Arthur's eyes were wide. "What the carp just happened?!"

Sam just shrugged made a move for the pizza box. Arthur snatched before he could get it and held it out of reach. "Explain! Now!" Sam huffed in annoyance.

* * *

 **Wow. There you have it. The chapter where stuff goes down! Took a while but we got there! I wonder where it goes from here...**

 **Longest chapter yet at over 4000 words. Phew! The conversations take a while to write. Need to make them entertaining while staying easy to follow and full of detail.**

 **Well, we're on the home stretch now with just 5-6 chapters to go. Things are about to get a little crazy! Review for a golden star sticker and Follow me or the story for updates. I have big plans for the future so let's hope I can find find the time and motivation to follow them :P**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	12. Chapter 12

Thea ran through the busy streets of Inkopolis. Vision blurry from the tears. Throat dry and hoarse from crying. Gasping for air to fuel her weary lungs. She weaved in and out of surprised, staring people. She didn't care, she just ran. She didn't know where to, she didn't know when she'd stop, she didn't even know why she was running. She just knew that she needed to run. So, she ran.

Thea hadn't run like this since she had escaped from the training camp of the Octarian underground or the police force that hunted her down. She didn't run in any particular direction. She would run in straight lines down multiple blocks one minute, then zig-zag between them the next. She had no idea where she was going, but something spurred her on.

"Thea! S-stop! Please!"

The Octoling girl tried to block out the voice of the panicked Inkling giving chase. She was torn in two. Half of her was aching. It wanted to just fall on the ground and cry into the shoulder of a friend who cared for her. The other half was afraid. It wanted to flee from the apparent pervert that had lied to her and abused her.

Thea kept on running. There was no reason. No logic. Just blind panic as she put one foot in front of the other and tried to figure out what to do.

Jason ran in the sobbing Octoling's wake. Desperately calling out to her. Trying to understand what was happening. His heart pounded. His legs ached. If he had grabbed his blaster he could've made an ink trail to swim in, allowing much faster and easier travel. But there was no time to equip an ink weapon. He would've lost Thea.

He didn't fully know what went wrong. He had a theory, but it wasn't the time to dwell on that. His friend was upset and was running from him. He needed to know what was wrong. He needed to help. He needed to make sure she was safe.

Jason found it tricky to keep up with her. Her direction was random. She seemed completely lost and clueless about where to go. But she was fast. Jason was getting fatigued, and it seemed that she was too. He didn't think he'd ever run so fast in his life. Yet they kept at the chase. "Thea! Wait!" he continued to call out her name. Trying anything to make her stop. He couldn't let her get lost in the city all alone. He squeezed he way past the on-lookers that where fixated on the two crazed cephalopods who ran through the city. He was pretty sure he saw some people with their phones out to film the chase.

Jason was scared for his friend. Scared that his friend was willingly running from him. Did she suddenly become scared of him? He was mad. He was mad at his other friend. The friend he thought he could trust. He didn't know exactly what happened, but he knew it was somehow that friend's fault.

Thea and Jason continued to run at their absolute limit through the city. The afternoon wore on and the warm sun sank lower toward the horizon. Street lights came on and tired Inklings and Octolings made their way back home after work and play. Still, Jason and Thea ran as the sky started turning gold and crimson pink. And they ran for different reasons.

* * *

Thea finally slowed and stumbled into a dark alleyway on an empty street, no one else was around. The sun was nearly below the horizon. The few clouds in the sky were casting pink and golden rays across the sky and the Inkopolis cityscape. The alleyway was dark as the last of the sun's light and the few working streetlights around weren't enough to shine between the shadowy walls.

Thea stood there in the darkness for a moment, hands on her knees and panting hard. Her throat felt like it was on fire and her legs felt like jelly. Once she had caught her breath she stood up straight to get back to running, but suddenly, all the exhaustion and emotions washed over her. Her knees buckled and she fell against the wall and slid to the ground in a miserable, sobbing heap.

"Th-Thea..." Thea heard Jason call weakly. His quick and loud footsteps drew near. Jason ran past the alleyway looking for the weeping Octoling girl. He skidded to a halt and turned back into the alley. He saw that Thea had finally stopped running and was leaning against the wall on her knees, crying softly into her hands. Jason sighed deeply. He also needed a break.

Jason waited a moment to get some air into his lungs, then walked over to Thea. Jason leaned on the wall next to Thea, to exhausted to stand, and slid down it until he was sitting next to her. He reached out to comfort her. "Thea?"

"Don't!" Thea flinched and turned her back on him. "P-please don't touch me..." Feeling dejected, Jason swallowed the lump in his throat and retracted his hand. She needed space for a while so Jason pushed himself away from her to give her some. He needed to think too.

Thea cried for several minutes. Eventually, her sobbing was reduced to a sniffle every once in a while. She sat with her back against the wall like Jason and they sat in the silence of the dark alley, staring through the opposite wall for a while. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts. The sun sank closer and closer to the horizon. Jason had to do something or they'd be there all night.

Finally, Jason worked up the courage to say something. "Thea? What's wrong?"

No response. Unless more sniffling counts as a response.

"Thea, it's getting late." Jason sighed. "Please tell me what's wrong so we can sort this out." Thea drew in a shaky breath but still didn't say anything. She absent-mindedly wiped some tears away with the palm of her hand.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jason asked. Still no response. "Did I say something wrong?" Jason tried again. Again, Thea was silent. Jason was getting worried.

"Did Sam say something to upset you?" Jason had thought that Sam had done something to offend Thea, but he couldn't imagine what he could've done to make her run away. Still, nothing but another sniffle from Thea.

Jason sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere. Thea wasn't talking and the evening was getting cold. He hung his head in defeat and rubbed his eyes. _"_ _Cod clam it, Jason! You blew it, Jason, you stupid squid!_ _And you don't even know how!_ _"_ he yelled internally.

Jason was about to get up when Thea finally whispered, "I don't know what to believe anymore."

Jason barely heard Thea and turned to look at her. "W-what?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore. Or who to believe in anymore." Thea whispered. Her voice was broken and croaky. "I'm just so confused.

Jason hesitated to say anything but finally asked, "What are you confused about? Why are you confused?" Thea was back to silent mode. "What happened while I was gone?"

There was another minute of tense silence before Thea finally answered. "Sam told me that you were messing with me. He said that you were lying to me."

Jason was confused. He had suspected that Sam was behind this but he hadn't expected this. He was also upset that his 'best friend' had been saying negative things about him behind his back. He needed answers. "What do you mean?" Jason asked with furrowed eyebrows.

All of a sudden, Thea broke into tears and she buried her face in her hands. "He said that you were trying to gain my trust and tying to make me like you only for you to 'bang me'!" Thea sobbed into her hands, bent over and shaking. "He said that you only rescued me so that you could use me and that you're actually rich and you do this all the time a-a-and that you're not really awkward and you only did every-!" Thea gasped for air.

"I j-just...AHHH!" Thea looked up at a bewildered Jason. "COD! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" Thea practically screamed.

Thea dropped her head again and went back to quiet sobbing. "Why? Why why why?! I th... I thought I could trust you! I-I thought w-we were friends..."

Jason sat in stunned silence. Eyes wide and his mouth slightly open and quivering. He was a fish caught in the headlights. He felt so defeated and shamed. He felt betrayed. He felt overwhelmed. What in the world had Sam done? How in the world was he going to fix this?

Jason searched his brain for answers. Something to sound smart and collected. Something to bring comfort and light to Thea. But nothing came. He was in too much shock. So he did the only thing that had gotten him to this point: Go by his guts and hope for the best.

"T-Thea...I-I don't really know what to say." Jason hung his head. "I'm really sorry that you feel this way. B-but I gotta ask...what makes you believe Sam?"

Thea paused and thought about that for a moment. Why had she believed Sam over Jason? If Sam knew what was going on, why would he tell Thea? He'd be ruining Jason's plan. She had just taken Sam's word for it. But there was still the issue of Jason being in Thea's bed/couch. Was that really a perverted scheme or a coincidence that lined up with some things of her past? Thea's head swirled with even more questions.

"I...I don't know..." Thea relented with a sniffle. She wiped her nose with her shirt. "I don't know..."

"Oh." Jason bit his lip. "Can you tell me exactly what he said?" Thea didn't answer. "Please, Thea. I want to sort this out so we can go back to being friends. I want to help. But I can't unless I understand what happened.

Thea nodded and took a deep breath. "Ok." she said with an obviously fake smile and smug tone."Ok. He said that you do this often. T-t-that you take in a girl a-and gain their trust and make them fall in love with you or something and t-then you 'bang' them!" Thea exclaimed. She looked Jason in the face. Her pained face was red and tears ran from her eyes down her cheeks. "How do I know that's true or not, huh? I do I know you haven't done that to me?!"

"Thea..." Jason was lost. What could he say to convince Thea that he was genuine? "Well, what about your clothes and Inking lessons? And food? Would I have bought you all that just to gain your trust? If I was going to be rid of you in a week or two? You said it yourself. All that wasn't cheap."

Thea shook her head and looked away. "Sam said that you actually make a lot of money."

"Wha-"

"You work in a high-class restaurant, Jason! I even saw the employee chart!" Thea was almost yelling again. "I saw how much you earn! I don't know how much that converts to in Octarian currency, but I doubt it's an insignificant amount!"

"You're right!" Jason interrupted before Thea could say anything else. "I do get paid well. But most of my income goes back to my struggling family and into my savings account. I don't actually have a lot of cash to throw around, so taking you in really has been a problem for my wallet. That's why I got you the job, remember? So you could pay for your own expenses and so you can make a fresh start in this city!"

Thea reluctantly nodded. Jason did have a good point. "But...how do I know you're telling the truth?" Her voice croaked.

"It's my word against Sam's, Thea." Jason shrugged. "What you have to understand is Sam is a prankster. He pulls pranks on everyone, all the time! He did one on me the day I met you! 'Caused me a lot of embarrassment." Jason's face flushed a little.

"Now you're just saying what he said." Thea sighed. "'He does this from time to time' and 'He gets a kick out of it.'"

Jason sighed and shook his head. "Like I said, it's my word against Sam's. Question is: who do you trust more?"

Thea groaned and dropped her head down again. "I don't know! I don't know what to think! This is all too much!"

Jason nodded to himself. He shuffled closer to Thea and put his arm around her back to comfort her. Thea didn't flinch away, which was good. Jason swallowed the knot in his throat before asking, "Thea? Why did you run?"

Thea hesitated to answer but was opening up a bit. "If Sam really was trying to scare me, it definitely worked." she said with a phantom of a laugh. "I was scared. When I saw you, I had so many conflicting thoughts...I didn't know what to do...so I ran." Thea said with a huff.

"Oh." Jason smiled a bit. "Well, at least I now know how you've gotten so good at turf wars so quickly!"

"Hmm?" Thea looked up at Jason again.

"Holy squit, you run fast!" Jason laughed. "Seriously! If you hadn't been zig-zagging so much I wouldn't have been able to catch up to you in the corners!"

Thea laughed too. Jason couldn't believe how much he had missed that giggle. "I guess I have gotten pretty good at evading!" Thea smiled.

"Yeah, who needs strategy in sports? You just outrun your opponents!" Jason continued with a big grin. "Roller barrelling down on you? Nope! Just doge out the way, turn around and SPLAT!"

"Haha! Well, being a troublemaker in the army for a few years certainly drives you run a lot!" Thea laughed and wiped the tears from her eyes and face.

The two calmed down and returned to silence for a while. The sun had fully dipped below the horizon taking all the color in the sky with it. The two cephalopods sat, leaning against the cold brick wall of the dark alleyway. Jason left his arm around Thea's back because she wasn't protesting and neither was he. _"Wow! A week ago I would never have imagined myself in this situation. Sitting alone, in a cold, dark alley, with my arm around a girl. An Octoling girl no less! And yet, it feels...almost...normal!"_ Jason smiled to himself. He felt like he was getting better with girls.

Thea sighed. "Jason?"

"Hmm?"

"I've made a decision."

"Oh. And what is your decision about?"

"I...I trust you." Thea looked into Jason's eyes.

"Thea?"

"I trust you!" Thea's voice cracked, tears beginning to run down her face again.

"Oh, Thea!" Jason, nearly in tears himself, pulled the Octoling in for a big hug.

Thea cried into Jason's shoulder. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I ran! You were right, I fell for Sam's trick! I didn't trust you! I'm so sorry for what I've put you through! I should've trusted you o-or talked with you sooner!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright! It's not your fault!" Jason rubbed Thea's back. "Sam is the one who crossed a line. And I should've known better to leave you alone with Sam!"

"No! It's not alright! You've been so nice to me, and we were friends, and I went and ruined it!"

"But you didn't ruin anything!" Jason persisted. "It was a misunderstanding! Just like yesterday morning! It was a mistake for both of us. Nobody got hurt. Nothing is broken. We need to just move on."

"But I feel so guilty and...I'm just so sorry!" Thea continued to cry into Jason's shoulder.

"It's ok to feel guilty, Thea. Everybody has something to feel guilty about. Even me!" Jason pulled out of the hug with Thea. Thea still had her head down, sobbing. Her lips quivered and tears fell from her eyes to the stone pavement. Jason was tearing up too. "We can't change the past. What's done is done. What's important now is we move on with our lives. Learn from this, and work to be better in the future."

Thea nodded a bit. Jason lifted her chin and the two looked into each other's eyes. "It's ok!" Jason reassured the Octoling. "We're gonna be fine!"

Thea smiled. "Yeah. Thank you so much, Jason! For everything!" She pulled Jason back in for another hug.

"You're welcome, Thea." Jason said as he smiled wide returned the hug.

The full moon was rising in the dark sky to join the stars. It shone directly into the alleyway where the squid and octopus sat in each other's arms.

As Jason thought about how crazy his situation was, he remembered something that would top off the evening. "Oh!" He ended the hug with Thea and fumbled with his pockets. "Thea, the reason we got back so late was because I picked up something!" as he pulled a small, red box from his pocket and handed it to Thea.

Thea's eyes grew wide. "For me?"

"Yeah!" Jason nodded enthusiastically. "Open it up!"

Thea slowly opened the lid of the box. What she saw inside took her breath away. A small. Golden ornament. The same one Thea had seen in the store window a few days prior. It looked like a ball with a beautiful swirling pattern molded into it and a spike running through the middle.

"Oh my-" Thea whispered. "Where did you find this?!"

Jason chuckled. "Does it matter?"

Thea shook her head with a big grin. "No!" She inspected the golden trinket in her hands. The moonlight sparkled off its surface making it seem as though it was radiant. "This is just like the one I used to have!"

"I take it you like it?" Jason asked with a bit of cheekiness.

"Like it? You have no idea how much this means to me!" Thea held the ornament to her chest. Jason had to concentrate to keep his eyes up.

"So you said it was symbolic to your people?" Jason asked to get his mind off that.

"Yeah. It's called a Golden Toothpick. They used to be extremely rare and only the wealthy could afford them. They became more and more common when I was still young." Thea explained, still looking at the ornament. "Wow, this is amazing!" Suddenly, a frown washed over Thea's face. "Wait, how much did this cost!?"

"Not quite enough to drive me to instant noodles for meals!" Jason laughed. On the inside he thought about how annoying it was that he had to break into his savings account. But he didn't want Thea to feel guilty about that. "Don't worry about it! It's my gift to you!"

Thea wrapped her arm around Jason again in a tight hug. "Thank you so much! I love it so much!"

Jason just continued to smile wide. "You're welcome, Thea! Now...uhh, you're supposed to wear it, right?

Thea nodded. She brought the golden toothpick up to her head and tried to put it in her ponytail headband but she couldn't quite get it in.

"Here, I'll try." Jason reached up to help. He took the golden toothpick and attempted to stick it in Thea's tentacle band.

Thea blushed. "Thanks. I-it's been a while."

"No problem!" Jason managed to fix the ornament to Thea's tentacles. He pulled back to get a look at her.

"H-how do I look?" Thea sheepishly asked with a deep blush on her face.

Jason had to watch that he didn't audibly gasp. The golden toothpick sicking in Thea's tentacles added an adorable, childish and whimsical feeling. But the shiny gold coating gave off a more beautiful, elegant and mature feel. "Stunning." was all Jason could say.

Thea giggled. Never had she met such a charming, yet genuine guy before. And an Inkling no less! He always tried so hard to stay cool and honest. He really cared about her and wanted her to be happy. Even to run halfway around the city for her. Perhaps he was the one who could help her start over and forget about her terrible past. Thea finally understood the feelings she had kept so guarded and bottled up inside her. She needed to say something but couldn't figure it out what.

Jason thought about his time with Thea. All the happy, sad, frustrating and embarrassing moments they'd had in their short time together. Meeting Thea was the best thing to have happened to Jason in a long time. She was the first girl in his life that had become his friend. The first girl in his life who actually wanted to spend time with him and make him happy. She was the first girl he had really opened up to. He didn't even feel that awkward around her anymore. Jason realized that he could no longer dismiss the feelings he had about Thea as simple shyness. He needed to do something, but he couldn't figure out what.

The full moon shone brightly upon the Inkling city of Inkopolis, reflecting the light of the retired sun. Millions of distant stars joined the cosmic dance across the sky. In old alleyway next to a deserted street, an Inkling and Octoling sat alone, thinking about each other, not really wanting to do anything else.

Jason realized that he and Thea were holding hands. He then realized that their faces were getting closer together. _"_ _This is like something from a cheesy teen movie!"_ Jason thought. _"Holy carp! I never thought I'd get to this point!"_

The Jason from a week ago would've pulled out and ran away in embarrassment. But Jason didn't care about his awkwardness anymore. His heart was pounding out of his chest. The little voice in his head was screaming and setting off alarm bells. But Jason couldn't care less. All he was focused on were the beautiful, shimmering sapphire eyes in front of him.

Thea pushed aside what little doubt remained. It felt like removing a wet and heavy coat. She was sure of her decision, nothing was going to change her mind. She felt Jason holding her hands and she saw that their heads were slowly moving closer and closer together. It felt automatic, natural. She dropped any reservations she still had and just focused on his blazing green, emerald eyes. Moving forward with her life. No backing out now.

Jason was about to close his eyes and commit to his first kiss when a light shone into his eye. The moonlight reflecting off of something on the ground. At first, Jason was going to ignore it, but something stirred in his subconscious. A feeling of dread washed over him, like a flash flood of anxiety, ruining this perfect moment.

Thea saw Jason stop and frown. He was looking at something on the ground behind her. "Jason?" Jason stood up and walked over to the shiny object. He crouched down to get a look at it.

A knife. Lying on the ground and reflecting the moonlight in just the right angle to get Jason's attention. Jason felt memories coming back to him. Something clicked. "Oh, my Cod." He muttered with wide eyes. He started running towards one of the alleyway's exits, the one they came in, but skidded to a halt and ran to the other one. He got there and looked around.

Empty plastic bags, rotten fruit, and damaged tin cans. "Squit, squit, squit!" He hissed through his teeth. He put his hands on his head and tried to sort through the swirling memories and emotions.

"Jason, what's going on?" Thea asked from the other end of the alleyway. She started walking over to the knife.

Jason ran back over and knelt over the knife again. He grabbed a piece of cardboard from the trash and used it to turn the knife over.

"Uhh...What are you doing?" Thea asked confused at what Jason was doing.

Jason found what he was looking for. "That basstard!" Jason whispered loudly. "SON OF A FISH!" Jason got up and bolted for the exit.

"Wait, Jason? Jason!" Thea called after him, but the Inkling didn't answer. He ran out of the alleyway, turned at the exit and ran down the sidewalk. Thea was left alone. She bent down to get a look at the knife. What she saw made her blood run cold.

* * *

 **Wow, what a chapter!**

 **I've been dreading doing this chapter for a long time. This is like the downbeat, emotional part of the movie right before the climax. I'm sure you know what that means! But I'm happy with how it turned out. It sure was a grind, but I think it was worth it. I have been dying to use that 'son of a fish' pun for a while!**

 **I'm truly sorry about the wait on this one. Life has been crazy busy with ice dance and work. I went to South Korea for a week and a half for a training seminar for crying out loud! Hopefully, the lengthy chapter made up for it. No? Ok. :'(**

 **I need to give a big thanks to you, the readers, for keeping me sane. The positive feedback has been wonderful and it spurs me on to actually sit down and write. This story began as a little exercise for a much larger story. Now it's an obsession. It's all I think about. I'm constantly thinking of new ways to improve the story. It's amazing! And I have you to thank for it!**

 **So to actually do something more than saying 'thank you' I've come up with a little something for you guys. I've made a little discord server for us to hang out and chat about The Little Differences. A place to talk to me and other people who like this story or other Splatoon fanfictions. I'd also be able to give more frequent updates on the status of new chapters and give out fun teasers and...I don't know I just thought it would be fun! I'd love to meet some new people! (If you're in the SWC discord server already then don't worry about it...unless you really want to join that is.)**

 **So if you want in, send me a PM and I can get you a link. It will only take you a few seconds to ask. You will have to log into your fanfiction account to PM me though. If you don't have a fanfiction account, they're absolutely free. And in case you don't know discord, it's also free...and it's awesome! I already have a few friends in the sever. Hope to see you there!**

 **Sorry for the long author's note.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	13. Chapter 13

Jason ran back the way he and Thea came, but a lot straighter. He knew where he was going. He felt wobbly on his feet and he stumbled every so often in the dark streets. His heart and lungs were working overtime again to keep the oxygen flowing through his body. The adrenaline had set in once again and his mind was clouded with one thought: _"That son of a fish! That freaking basstard! I'm going to kill him!"_

Jason wasn't just angry, he was livid. Every aching muscle, every panting breath, every step forward was fueled by pure, unchecked rage. Jason didn't care anymore. He just ran.

Throat burning and strength fading, he rounded the last corner to see his destination. Jason stopped for a moment to catch a breath. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Jason was tempted to ignore it but decided to pick it up. Several messages from Arthur. With shaky hands, he skimmed through them.

Arthur had a lovely chat with Sam and could confirm what Thea had said to Jason. Sam had been playing a prank on the poor Octoling. Sam often did things like that and Jason didn't mind most of the time. But Sam sometimes took things way too far.

To break a girl's heart like that and to slander about your friends even as just a joke? Jason was beyond pissed. But he couldn't think about Sam now. He had bigger fishies to fry.

The rest of Arthur's messages were just asking where Jason and Thea were and if they were alright. Jason shoved his phone back into his pocket, took a deep breath and power walked the last block to his confrontation.

* * *

The Nautical Dinner's front door burst open, startling Natalie. The pink tentacled Inkling was working near the entrance and it was her job to greet new customers, show them to a table and give out the menus. But the Inkling who had just busted in was no ordinary customer.

"J-Jason!" She walked over to the frowning Inkling in the doorway. "What are you doing here so late? Your shift here ended ages ago."

Jason scanned the restaurant. There weren't many people left as the restaurant would be closing soon. He stormed his way across the main dining room towards the kitchen.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Natalie called to him.

"Unfinished business." Jason said loudly. He pushed the double doors to the kitchen open and the few staff still working the evening shift stopped what they were doing to see the furious Inkling in the room.

"Hi, Jason!" someone oblivious to said Inkling's anger greeted him

"Uhhh...Jason? Why are you here?" another staff cook asked.

"You ok dere, bud?" the big strong girl that was Emily asked.

Jason looked around the room. He wasn't there.

"Where's Harry?" Jason asked loudly. After a moment of confusion, everyone pointed to the back door.

"He literally just left. He's leaving a bit early today." someone said.

"Yeah, he's on his way to his car out back." Emily nodded.

"You could probably still catch him if you hurry though." Kyle added.

Jason made a beeline for the back door and pushed through it, slamming it behind him.

"Wonder what all dat was about..."

* * *

Harry adjusted the backpack on his shoulder and scrolled through a news feed on his phone. He thought about his plans for that night and what he would need. He was almost out of the alley that lead to the small staff car park when he heard the back door to the restaurant slam shut. He turned his head to see Jason storming towards him. "Jason?"

Jason didn't respond. He kept his fast pace toward Harry. Harry expected him to slow as he neared but he didn't. As Jason neared, Harry saw the scowl on his face.

Jason closed the gap between them. Despite being a foot shorter than Harry, he grabbed him by the collar and pushed his back against the wall. Harry was surprised and his backpack slid off his shoulder. "Whoa! Jaso-"

"Why'd you do it, Harry?" Jason hissed.

"Wha-"

"WHY'D YOU MUG THEA?!" Jason yelled and shook the taller Inkling violently.

Harry saw a fire in Jason's eyes that shook him to the core. "W-wha-? I-I-don't-" he sputtered.

"I know it was you!" Jason shoved Harry into the wall again. "Thea said that she'd punched her mugger in the eye! Guess who had a black and swollen eye at work for the next few days?!"

"J-J-Jason I don't know what you-"

"Yes, you do!" Jason yelled in the spluttering squid's face "You have been acting weird around her since the moment she started working here!"

"S-s-so I might like her?!" Harry tried to defend himself.

"Bullsquit!" Jason shoved him again. "I've seen you around girls you like lots of times and you've never acted like this before! You are not the shy type, Harry!"

"I-I still d-don't know what you're talking about!" Harry tried again.

"WE FOUND YOUR FREAKING KNIFE, HARRY!" Jason yelled again while shaking Harry.

"W-wha-?"

"The knife you used to mug Thea, dip-squit! The one you cut her with you sick freak!" Jason's eyes burned with rage and his voice shook as he grilled Harry. "We found it in the alleyway tonight! Your name is engraved on it! Just like all your stupid, precious knives!"

Jason saw Harry's resolve break and his eyes narrow. With a jerk, Harry pried Jason off him and kicked him in the stomach. Jason was sent to the ground, winded and gasping for air. "Alright then! You win!" Harry growled in a low voice. "I mugged your stupid, precious Thea! I was going to kill her! 'Course you just had to show up with your fruits and vegetables!"

Jason struggled to get up. "W-why w-would you-?" he got out between gasps for air.

"Because she didn't have any money, duh!" Harry yelled at the pathetic Inkling on the ground. "And what's it to you if she'd died?! You didn't even know she existed!"

"S-so you'd take an innocent life for no reason?" Jason wheezed, clutching his stomach.

"She was an Octoling soldier! She is in no way 'innocent'!" Harry ranted on. He crouched down to his backpack and started rummaging through it. "She was homeless too! She told me herself! Nobody would've cared if she'd disappeared!"

"She would've cared!" Jason managed to get on one knee. "You can't just kill people willy-nilly!"

"I can do whatever, or kill whoever I like you little squit!" Harry spat. Finally, he found what he was looking for. "Speaking of which..." Harry pulled a knife from his backpack. It was similar to the one Jason and Thea had found in the alleyway.

The color drained from Jason's face as he realized how much squit he was in now. "Are you crazy?!" Jason yelled, fear washing over him. He knew Harry wouldn't be able to get away with killing him. People knew he had gone out the back door to see Harry and Thea would be able to testify against him. He still didn't like the look in Harry's eyes...or the sharp end of that knife.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't have a plan for that right now, but I'll figure something out. Like I always do. I don't really care right now." Harry shrugged and smiled maliciously. He approached Jason slowly. "What I do care about right now is where this knife is going."

Jason sighed. _"Oh Cod, I am gonna die!"_ He threw himself at Harry, charging his shoulder into the taller Inkling's leg. They both tumbled against the wall and to the ground. Harry lost his grip on the knife and it skidded across the concrete away from them.

"Motherf-" Harry was cut short when Jason kneed him in the crotch, right where it hurt most. "GAHHH!"

Jason managed to get on top of Harry and tried to punch him in the face, but Harry anticipated this and blocked him. Harry then grabbed Jason's right arm and pushed it behind his back. Jason used his left hand to punch Harry's side, but he made a rookie mistake and yelped when his thumb was crushed under his fingers.

Harry pushed Jason over so that he was now on top. Jason still had his right arm pinned under him and could just barely keep Harry from crushing it by pushing him up with his other arm. Harry kept Jason down with one hand and punched him in the face repeatably with the other.

"AGH! AGH! EGH!" Jason had never been punch so hard. His face burned like fire and his nose was definitely bleeding. He couldn't tell but it felt like some of his teeth had been knocked out. Jason was running out of time so as a last-ditch effort he wrapped one of his legs around Harry's legs and kicked him in his hips with the other. Harry missed a punch as that happened and his fist slammed into solid concrete.

Harry gripped his hand and cried out in pain. This gave Jason a chance to push Harry off of him and elbow the side of his head. Jason scrambled to his feet and tried to make run for the knife, but Harry saw this and tackled him from behind, bringing him back to the ground. Harry quickly got off Jason to run for the knife.

Jason pushed himself up as Harry scooped the knife off the ground. The two stood apart for a moment to catch their breath.

The moon and stars became darker as thick clouds rolled in, blocking their light. The alleyway was dimly lit by the street lights around the corner of the wall.

Harry looked down at his shaking and grazed hand. He gripped his knife's handle even harder as pure rage flowed through him. He couldn't let Jason spread the word of his crimes.

Jason's clutched his aching arm. His head swam and his cheeks and nose burned up. He ran his tongue along his teeth to see if anything was missing. All his teeth were still there but his mouth was numb and full of blood. He spat it out and looked around for options. Direct combat wasn't working in his favor but the last time they had met in an alleyway he was able to use other objects to his advantage. After spotting a few potential items, he faced Harry.

This is crazy, Harry!" Jason tried to reason with the taller, stronger Inkling. "There's just no way you can get away with this!"

"Oh, don't worry about me, Jason!" Harry rolled his shoulder and grinned evilly. "This isn't my first time doing this! I've done this a few times before!"

" _WHAT?!"_ Jason thought. _"Thea wasn't Harry's only victim?!"_ Now he really couldn't let him get away with this.

Harry charged at Jason. Jason dashed to some wooden planks that had been leaning against the wall beside him. He pushed them over in front of him and Harry was deflected. Jason then grabbed a big heavy traffic cone and swung it at Harry, who was still recovering from having heavy wooden beams falling on him. The cone connected with the side of Harry's head and he reeled back.

"AHHG! S-seriously?! A freaking traffic cone?!" Harry yelled, rubbing his head. "Like...just...seriously?!"

"Hey, if it works then sure!" Jason swung the traffic cone back for another bash. Harry deflected it with his arm and tried to stab Jason with the knife, but Jason turned the cone at the last second and the knife bounced off the thick plastic of the cone's base. Harry tried another pass of the knife but Jason just blocked him with the cone again. And again. And again.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Harry roared, frustrated beyond comprehension.

Jason shoved the cone with his shoulder into Harry's chest, sending the surprised Inkling reeling backward. Harry tripped up and fell on his rear on the hard ground. Jason raised the cone above his head and brought it down over Harry's head, wide end first. Harry was trapped inside the traffic cone. The hole in the base of the cone went over Harry's shoulders and upper arms so he couldn't swing his knife at Jason. Jason would've laughed at the sight if he wasn't fighting for his life.

Jason kicked the cone at about where Harry's head should've been and the cone hit the floor with a stunned Harry inside. "AHHH!" Jason was about to stomp down on his chest but Harry changed to his squid form and slipped out of the cone and just out of the way.

Harry quickly stood up and shoved Jason to the floor. "EGHHH!" He picked up the knife he had dropped during his cone fiasco and staggered for a moment as his head ached. His nose was bleeding too now.

Jason rolled away and got to his knees. He looked around for something, anything that could help. He spotted a thick piece of tattered cloth hanging from a hook in a wall. Jason remembered something from a movie he had watched and a crazy idea hatched in his mind.

The dark and heavy clouds that hung in the sky, began to burst and rain poured upon the city and into the alleyway. Jason and Harry quickly became soaked. The rain droplets stung their skin and eyes and the air grew colder. The dusty concrete ground became muddy and slippery. It became even harder to see.

"This would be a lot easier if you'd just sit still and die!" Harry growled.

Jason spat more blood from his mouth. "Said every creepy movie villain ever!" Jason answered mockingly.

"That Octoling isn't worth this!" Harry stepped closer.

"That, Octoling is worth everthing!" Jason yelled.

Harry didn't want to give Jason another moment to live so he sprang at him again. Jason quickly changed to his squid form to doge the knife, which just grazed his tentacle. He tore the fabric from the hook in the wall and backed away from the crazed squid with the knife. He tore the fabric into two parts and wrapped them around his hands.

Harry squinted in confusion. "Huh?"

Jason held his wrapped hands up and shrugged. "Yeah...I don't really know anymore..."

"Just die already!" Harry lunged again, knife ready to strike. Jason deflected it with his protected hand. Harry elbowed him in the chest and tripped him up. Both Inklings went tumbling to the ground but Harry landed on top of Jason.

Harry swiped again with the knife, intending to slice Jason's throat. Jason blocked him with his hand again, but the knife continued on and sliced down Jason's arm. "GAHHH!" Jason didn't have time to think about the pain. He blocked another swipe of the knife and blocked Harry's other arm from punching him.

Jason finally managed to punch the side of Harry's head. Even with the cushioning of the cloth on his hands, it was enough to knock Harry off of him. He rolled on top of Harry and pinned him down with his arms and the knife hand down with his knee. Taking Harry's collar, he smashed the pinned Inkling's head into the ground twice. "I'LL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER HURT ANYONE EVER AGAIN!"

Harry was done with this fight. He mustered all his strength and shoved Jason off of him. He picked up his knife once again and pounced on Jason. Jason found himself against the wall, straddled by an enraged Harry.

Harry held Jason down with one arm, pinning his neck, and the other held the deadly weapon. "Finally! Oh, my COD, YOU'RE A PAIN!" he spat. "Any last words, brat?!"

Jason made a rude gesture with his hand. "Not really, no!"

"GOOD!" Harry yelled again, preparing to end Jason's life.

With no other options, Jason closed his eyes, ready for oblivion. _"_ _Well...I guess this is it."_ He thought about his family. He thought about his friends. His childhood. School and work. It all came rushing past him.

And Thea.

" _My Cod. I'm so sorry, Thea."_

Harry raised the knife to finish off the pesky squid. Suddenly, the restaurant's back door opened and the two bloody Inklings turned to see a blue tentacled Octoling in the doorway.

"THEA!" both Jason and Harry yelled in unison

"Jason!" Thea gasped at the sight of the beaten Inkling on the ground, bloodied. She began running towards Jason and Harry.

"NO! WAIT-" Jason was cut short as Harry brought the knife down and stabbed him in the chest.

At first, Jason couldn't believe he had actually been stabbed. It didn't seem to stand out beyond his other injuries. But seeing the knife soaked in his own blood and ink mix and the quickly growing pool soaking his shirt forced him to accept the horrible truth. _"_ _Well...squit..."_

"NOOOOOO!" Thea screamed.

Jason looked into Thea's eyes. Her face was filled with shock and horror and she covered her mouth with her hands. Tears streamed down her face and she nearly collapsed. Jason began to cry too. _"_ _I'm sorry!"_ he mouthed to her.

Harry stood up from Jason. He spun the bloody knife in his hand. His own shirt was bloodied and the rain dripped from his face. He looked absolutely terrifying. Like a serial killer in a horror movie. "YOU!" he roared and pointed the knife at Thea. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" He started moving towards Thea.

Jason had to stop the monster. He spat more blood out of his mouth and pulled himself up the wall. The new wound in his chest made itself known and he groaned as he stumbled to his feet. _"NO! I WON'T LET YOU!"_ he told himself in his head.

Thea screamed again as Harry approached and she backed towards the restaurant door. Jason held his hand over his chest wound and charged at Harry from behind. "ARGHHHHH!"

Harry was knocked to the ground and Jason smashed his hands over his head. Harry blocked Jason and tried to stab him again. Jason transformed into a squid and slipped under the knife. As he changed back to his regular form, Harry swiped his arm and Jason was sent flying into the wall. He bounced off it and collapsed face down on the ground. He didn't move again.

Harry, satisfied with his work, continued to walk to the restaurant's back door. Thea had gone back inside and closed it behind her. Harry was beyond judgment now and swung the door open, ready to kill the Octoling that had caused all this commotion and had ruined his evening. "HAAAaaa..."

But it wasn't Thea who greeted him at the door. It was the bulky figure if Emily. The big girl stood a whole head and shoulders taller than Harry and was twice as wide. She had her arms crossed and a relaxed face.

"Hiya, Harry." Emily said with a deadpan expression and raised eyebrow. "What's all dis ruckus about den?"

"U-uhh-Uh..." Harry stuttered. He saw the rest of the staff peeking and Thea around the corner of the short hallway that lead to the door.

"Yeah, I thought as much." Emily nodded.

Harry gulped, dropped his knife and tried to run but Emily caught his shirt and pulled him back. "Listen here, buddy. We can either do dis da hard way or da really hard way." she smiled. Harry just struggled to free himself from the clutches of the massive girl. Emily shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Emily punched Harry in the stomach and gripped him in a chokehold. After a little more stuggling, Harry gave up. Emily dragged him back into the restaurant. "Somebody wanna call the police?" she asked. She took another look at the state Harry was in. He was soaking with water and blood. His face was turning blue so Emily eased up on the chokehold a little but kept her firm grip on the defeated Harry. "And an ambulance maybe?"

"On it!" someone on the staff answered.

As soon as it was clear, Thea bolted for the door and ran to where Jason lay motionless on the ground. "JASON?! JASON!" She skidded to her knees and turned him over. He was hardly breathing and the pool of blood on the ground was growing every passing minute.

"JASON?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Thea yelled. She held his head in one hand and covered the wound with her other. Tears fell from her eyes onto Jason's shirt.

Jason heard Thea as if she was in the distance. His vision was blurry and fading fast. He tried to respond but was too weak. He felt cold and dark.

"JASON, PLEASE! PLEASE, STAY WITH ME!" Thea saw the long gash running down Jason's arm. She took off her sweater and wrapped it around the wound.

 _"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."_ Jason thought. His eyes closed as he slipped away.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOO!" Thea cried. "JASON, PLEASE!"

Jason lost consciousness and fell away into the abyss. The last thing he saw was Thea crying over him and Natalie running to him with a first-aid kit.

* * *

 **And there we go! Jason is gone!**

 **...**

 **Or is he?! MAWHAHAHAHA! We shall have to find out next time on Dragon ba- ok I'm sorry. Seriously, we still have like two chapters left, so I hope he's not dead. That would suck** **because we can't have romance without the other person!**

 **Right, so we're almost there. Just a two chapters to go plus a possible bonus chapter.**

 **Oh my God! I'm almost done with this story! That's exciting!**

 **Anyway, I have to go. Review for Jason's soul, follow for updates, and shoot me a PM if you wnat to join a discord server for more regular updates and teasers. (Or we can just chat. That'd be nice.)**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket.**


	14. Chapter 14

" _...Ok...His eyes are open..."_ someone said in the darkness, as the darkness gave way to blinding light. The voice sounded distant and muffled.

Jason's head pounded with the most splitting headache. His vision swirled and he couldn't focus on anything. All he saw was white light and some movement in the corners of his vision. His breathing was harsh and something was on his face and blocking his nose.

" _...ake off the mask...doesn't need...more oxygen..."_

"Wh-where?" Jason slurred as he felt the oxygen mask lifted from his face.

" _...Hold on sweetie...we're going to help you...can you see me?..."_

Jason wanted to shake his head, but he was too weak and it would've hurt too much. Instead, he just groaned. He felt something prick his arm. It wasn't very painful because he was already sore and numb.

" _This will help you wake up...just hold on."_

Jason was so confused. He needed answers. He tried to move. All he could do was move his fingers, and even that hurt like heck. "Where am I?" he asked with a sore and dry voice.

" _East-Coast Hospital. You've...in a coma...day."_

Jason struggled to make out the details in his vision. Something moved in front of him. _"How many fingers do you see...?"_

"Uhhhh...th-three?" Jason answered, squinting at the giant logs before his eyes.

" _Mmhmm...Ok, sweetie, can you tell me your name?"_ the voice asked again. It was getting clearer and Jason wasn't straining so hard to hear it anymore.

"U-uh...Jason."

"Mmmhhmm..."

Jason blinked a few more times to clear his vision. He saw an Inkling doctor in a white coat towering over him. She was writing on her clipboard and looking down at him, checking to see how he was doing. A nurse in blue clothing was also tending to him

"Ok, Jason, do you remember anything?" the doctor asked.

Jason remembered everything. From meeting Thea for the first time, to playing their first game of turf war, to getting her a job at the dinner, to fighting a crazed psycho all the way up till blacking out on the ground in a pool of blood and ink. "O-oh my Cod! Where's Thea?!"

"Hmmm?" the doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Thea! Is she ok?! I have to see her! Where is sh-COUGH COAH CAPPUGH" Jason whent into a coughing fit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down." the doctor said raised her hand. "Let me finish your checks first, then I can see if she-" She smiled sweetly and spoke in a soft voice.

"No!" Jason said in a raspy voice. "No, You don't understand! I need to see her!" Jason tried to get up, but the sudden movement sent waves of pain through his body. His ears rang and his headache grew worse.

"Jason," the doctor spoke more sternly. "you have been in a coma for nearly twenty hours. You were stabbed in the chest last night. The knife cut through part of your lung and heart. You were in a critical condition for most of the morning have been unresponsive to our attempts to revive you for most of the afternoon." the doctor kept her smile but her tone of voice said that she really didn't want to deal with a grumpy patient.

"So," the doctor continued. "I suggest you stay calm and let me do some checks to make sure you don't die in the next few hours. How does that sound?"

Jason nodded slightly but still persisted. "Is she here? Can I see her when you're done?"

The doctor nodded. "I'll take care of you first, then I'll see if anyone is here for you. Ok?"

"Ok." Jason said with a knot in his throat. "Umm...Doctor?"

"Call me Dr. Raivel." the doctor smiled as she looked over the monitors of the machines hooked up to Jason.

"Ok, Dr. Raivel...umm...Why am I not dead?"

"As I said, part of your lung was cut open and several arteries around your lung were also damaged. We had to do immediate surgery to patch you up and stabilize you. You're also chock full of drugs right now so that's why you'll feel drowsy." Dr. Raivel put her hand to Jason's forehead to feel his temperature. "Ok...temps good." she said quietly as she jotted something down on her clipboard.

"Ok...Then why does everything else hurt?"

"You've got stitches in your chest from surgery. Your right arm is also cut up badly, one of your shoulder muscles is torn and your nose is a little bashed in." the doctor said as she continued to look Jason over.

"Oh..." Jason gulped, realizing the extent of his injuries. He wasn't in a good state, but he was alive, and breathing was more important to him than walking.

As his mind began to clear, Jason grew more and more aware of the severity of his wounds. As the pain medication wore off, he felt more of his scarred body. His right arm lay on top of the bedsheets that covered him. It was bandaged up all the way from his hand to his elbow. He felt more bandages on his shoulder and some on his face. He felt a lot of bandages and strapping around his chest and waist. He didn't even want to know how bloodied they'd be. Everything ached and he didn't dare move anything.

Dr. Raivel performed her checks on Jason with amazing efficiency and diligence. She checked every bandage and strap. She checked out Jason's blood pressure, breathing, heart rate. She took a blood sample and gave him more pain medication. She asked him many questions and listened to what he had to say. She smiled as she ticked the last box and wrote the last note.

"Alright! You're in pretty good shape for someone who's been in a knife fight! Well done!"

"Wooooooo." Jason groaned, unenthused.

"I'll take these down to the office to be added to your report," Dr. Raivel said, tapping the clipboard with her pen. "then I'll see if there are any guests waiting for you. A nurse will be around shortly if you need anything." The doctor spun on her heels to leave

"Ok...Dr. Raivel?" Jason called after her.

"Yes, Jason?" the doctor turned back to him.

"...Thank you...so much. Give my thinks to the entire team."

Dr. Raivel smiled wide. "I'm sure I can figure out how to do that." With that, she left Jason's hospital room.

"Ok..." Jason sighed. He was probably going to be there for a while. What a mess! What a fool he was, to go after Harry all alone! What the shell was he thinking?! He could've died!

He wasn't thinking. He had let his anger and rage take over. His selfish desire for revenge. Revenge against someone who had hurt his friend. Was that righteous revenge? Jason knew in his heart the answer was no. He knew better than to go off at someone over petty things, or to get even because of small issues.

But Harry was different. Something had stirred inside Jason like never before. A drive. A hunger. To find the one who had caused all the pain and suffering. He wanted Harry to hurt. Bad. But then, was he any better than the mugger himself? To want to see him suffer, to be defeated? Yes, Harry was definitely guilty, and he may have even hurt more people than just Thea. But was it right for Jason to exact revenge on him? Was it his place?

Jason wished he had asked for back up. He could've asked for someone to help confront Harry or to make sure things didn't get out of hand. He could've at least told someone what he was doing. Now he was paying the price. In a hospital bed, with stitches in his chest and several other places patched up. And he was also in pain.

All these thoughts swirled in Jason's mind. He didn't really want to think about them, although, he really was going to have a lot of time to think in bed. But he decided to focus on something else. What in the world was he going to say to Thea? Or his family?! To his boss?! Jason was in deep squit. There was going to be a lot of damage control after he got out.

Jason lay in the hospital bed for a while. A nurse came in at some point to check up on him and bring him some water but they didn't stay long, they had a job to do after all. So as the minutes ticked by, Jason's head cleared up more and more and he could take a good look around the room. Simple white hospital room with bright lights and a clean floor. Through the thin curtains at the windows, the city's night lights were visible. Apartment buildings and skyscrapers and moving points of light on the highway glimmered in the late evening.

Jason saw an IV line running from a bag suspended above him into his arm. A thin tube from another machine ran into one of his nostrils. That felt really weird. Heart rate and respiration monitors and a bunch of other machinery he didn't recognize surrounded him.

Jason felt gross and sweaty. Having all this stuff inside made him feel queasy. He was hungry. In pain. He just wanted it all to end. But he was so thankful he was still alive. He was sure he was done for in that alley. Jason knew he'd never take his life for granted again.

* * *

Jason had his eyes as he listened to the sounds of the busy hospital. Announcements coming through the PA system, People walking past his room, children crying or laughing, chatter about patients and doctors. Jason heard the sound of someone running past his room, then double back. He opened his eyes with a twinge of hope.

"Jason!?" an Octoling with turquoise tentacles and eyes appeared in the doorway.

"Thea!" Jason perked up.

"Jason!" Thea's voice cracked.

Thea ran across the room and collapsed at the side of the bed. She wrapped her arms around Jason and hugged him tightly. "Oh my Cod, you're alive! Oh my Cod, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault, I'm so sorry- Thea's frantic words slurred into nonsensical babbling. She cried into Jason's chest, getting the sheets soaked in tears.

"Thea, Thea!" Jason wheezed. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Thea quickly pulled herself from Jason and sat on her knees. "Ah! I'm sorry! That must've hurt!"

Jason winced and smiled a little. "It's fine! I'm glad you're here!"

Thea wiped the tears from her eyes. "Me too." I-I mean I'm glad you're ok! I thought you were going to die!"

Jason bit his lip. "Me too actually...Did the doctor say anything to you?"

Thea sniffed and nodded. "Yeah, she said that you were awake and were going to be ok." she said as she looked Jason over. She cringed at the sight of Jason's arm bandaged up like a cast. His tentacles and face were scratched and bruised and his nose was also bandaged up. He was in a worse state then she was when he had found her. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Like a truck ran over me." Jason smirked and shook his head.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Thea asked.

"Well...yeah. It hurts a lot...but I'll live."

"Ok." Thea nodded. She pulled up a chair from the wall and brought it closer to the bed. She sighed and sat down.

"So." Jason said. "What's happened while I've been asleep?"

Thea hesitated to answer and her face showed that she was thinking about what to say. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep and crying. "Well, Natalie and Caleb did what they could with the med-kit. An ambulance was called quickly to help take you to the hospital."

Thea took a deep, raspy breath before continuing. "I sat next to you all the way to the hospital, but I couldn't come with you into the emergency room. So I stayed in the waiting room all night. Arthur heard what happened and came as well. I couldn't sleep, so Arthur stayed with me to keep me company."

Jason saw the tears coming back to Thea's eyes but she just wiped them away. "I did get some sleep during the day. Arthur brought some blankets and pillows so we could sleep on the chairs. We spent a lot of time just talking. But...oh Cod!" Thea's voice cracked and she covered her face with her hands. Sniffling, she said, "I'm sorry! I was just so worried! I thought I was going to lose you!"

Jason's heart ached for Thea. It must've been so hard to wait so long and feel so helpless to do anything. He tried imagining what it must've felt like to lose a friend and not be able to help. It wasn't a pleasant thought. He was touched that Thea cared that much for him to stay at the hospital.

"Jason?"

Jason looked up to see Arthur poking his head into the room. "Arthur!"

"Hey, Jason!" Arthur smiled at the sight of his friend awake. He frowned when he saw that Thea was upset. He came into the room and took up a seat next to Thea. "How are you?"

"Everything aches and I feel sick and tired. So, I'm doing fine, you?" Jason chuckled, then winched and groaned from the pain it caused in his chest.

"I'm ok, just a little bit tired." Arthur shook his head and yawned. "The seats here are really uncomfortable" he whispered loudly. Thea nodded and yawned too.

I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help, Jason." Arthur said looking dejected. "I just didn't know what was going on."

"It's not your fault, Arthur." Jason countered. "I was stupid to confront a mugger without backup, or letting anyone else know where I was. I wasn't thinking straight. So I'm sorry for putting you through this. Both of you."

Thea smiled just a little. Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you did give us quite a scare."

"Arthur, thanks for sticking around for me...and Thea."

"It's the very least I could do." Arthur smiled. "You guys are my friends. And I don't want my friends to ever feel lost or alone.

"What about work at the dinner?" Jason asked. "Since all of us are here...Natalie can't do the shift all by herself, can she?."

"No, the dinner's closed now." Arthur frowned. "The police are investigating what happened."

"Oh..." Jason bit his lip. He realized what that could mean for them. Jason had come storming into the Nautical Dinner angry and asking for Harry and left out the backdoor only to be discovered later in a fight. From the perspective of someone in the kitchen, it would seem that Jason started the fight and that Harry was acting in self-defense.

The only witness to the way Harry had stabbed Jason was Thea. An illegal immigrant who had yet to prove herself as trustworthy. Who was going to believe her? The only evidence they had was a knife with Harry's name etched on it and there were definitely more people with the name 'Harry' in Inkopolis. Other than that, it was Jason and Thea's words against Harry's. Jason was known for having a bit of an anger issue too. He feared that this whole thing could be turned against him and he'd end up being the one behind bars.

"What happened to Harry?" Jason asked.

"Emily got her hands on him and he was arrested." said Arthur. "His injuries weren't too bad so he was taken directly to jail until the police could piece together what really happened."

Jason's face grew serious. "Arthur, Thea, I promise you, I did not attack Harry first! He came at _me_ with the knife!"

"And I believe you, Jason." Arthur leaned forward in his chair. "I know you wouldn't provoke him to do this. It's just not like you."

"Yeah, and until last night I thought it was unlike Harry to mug an innocent girl." Jason huffed. "If we're not careful, his lawyer is going to squash us in court."

"I believe you, Jason." Thea said with a sad smile.

"I know, Thea, and I'm so grateful for that. But this isn't just about what happened last night." Jason shook his head in frustration. It made him dizzy. "You're still an illegal immigrant here and a wanted criminal back underground. If the police find out about you, or even a whiff that you were involved in this, you could be deported back to the very same facility you only just escaped from! And I'd be in even bigger trouble for harboring an illegal immigrant and Mr. Kepton would be in really big trouble for hiring an illegal immigrant!"

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. Thea stared at the floor and fidgeted with her fingers. Arthur rubbed his eyes and sighed then leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. Jason watched them and tried to come up with something to say.

Suddenly, Arthur remembered something to brighten the mood. "Oh, Jason! Your parents are on their way here!"

"Wait, what?" Jason's face lit up again.

"Yeah!" Arthur said. "The hospital called them after you arrived but they've been out of town, so they've been driving all day to get here quickly."

"Ok, good. Hopefully, they'll be here soon!" Jason smiled. It had been a while since he'd seen his parents or any of his family. It would be great to see them again and for them to help him through this tough time. Jason may be living by himself, but he was still only just seventeen and he sometimes missed his mummy and daddy.

Jason gave a big yawn, wincing at the pain it caused in his chest. "Oh boy! I've only been awake for a little while and I'm already tired!" he groaned

"You should get some rest." Arthur said, getting up. "Recovery is tiring."

Jason nodded. "Mmm...You should get rest too. You've got time off work after all. All of us do!" he smiled.

Arthur laughed and Thea forced a nervous giggle.

"Thea?" Arthur asked his fellow Octoling. "You can come with me back to my place if you'd like. It's been a while since you last ate."

Thea stood up too but her face showed conflict. Go with Arthur and get some much-needed sleep and food, or stay with Jason? "Uhhh..." she looked between Jason and Arthur.

"You should go, Thea." said Jason. "Go get some sleep. It's been a stressful day."

"Well...I'm still worried about you." Thea said sadly.

"You don't need to worry about me." Jason reassured her. "The doctors here will take good care of me. We can talk more tomorrow."

Thea nodded, but she still looked disappointed. "O-ok." She and Arthur walked to the doorway to leave.

"Goodnight, Jason." Arthur waved to his bed stricken friend. "I hope you get well soon. And don't worry, we'll figure out how to fix this mess."

"Thanks, Arthur." Jason smiled. And thank you both for sticking by me."

Thea waved goodbye with a sad smile. Jason weakly returned the gesture with his good hand. Then, Thea and Arthur disappeared from sight.

Jason lay motionless in bed for a few minutes, thinking about everything they had talked about. Just the previous evening he thought he knew how to fix everything, but now everything was falling to pieces. Jason had told Thea not to worry about him, but he himself was worried about him, and everyone else.

Looking around him, Jason thought again how amazing it was he was alive. Still breathing, heart still beating. Yeah, he was in pain, but the pain would only be temporary. Death is eternal. Jason didn't know what eternity felt like, but it probably would be pretty long.

Jason yawned again and decided to go to sleep. He was a little afraid that he wouldn't wake up again, like this was all just a dream right before he actually dies. Everyone always says you can pinch yourself to tell if you're dreaming. Jason thought about doing that but decided that he was already feeling so much pain that he really was awake and alive.

Jason looked around for a way to turn off the light. He found a small control panel at his bedside. With heavy eyelids, he pushed a button and the lights in the room dimmed but didn't completely turn off. Jason made himself as comfortable as possible and fell asleep, listening to the sound of his own beating heart.

* * *

 **AYYYYYE! Jason lived! Everything's gonna be ok! Right? _RIGHT?!_**

 **Sorry again for the wait on this one. I'm not going to talk about why it took so long since no one actually cares about that. Just know that I'm still going to do my best to finish this story. What's important is that another chapter is done...Aaaaaand I have to add another to the list. Yeah, I had to split chapter 14 in two. Frustrating, I know. But hey! More Jason and Thea goodness!**

 **Darth Nominatis, sorry but I'm not doing requests at the moment. Especially for franchises I've never heard of. I may in the future though. I also couldn't send you a reply because you need to be logged in when posting your review for me to have the link to your PMs. So again, sorry about that.**

 **Thank you to everyone else who sent their messages of encouragement. It really means so much for me, you have no idea! I'm sorry I didn't reply to all of them like I usually do. I'll try to stay on top of that from now on.**

 **Youtuber plug time! Follow me or the story for updates and review for caramel slice (and my sanity). PM if you'd like a link to my little discord server where I can give more regular updates and we can chat about...stuff I guess.**

 **Thanks for reading. Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	15. Chapter 15

Jason walked through the abyss. Dark and damp. Quiet and cold. Only his quiet and slow footsteps echoed through the void. He walked toward the only source of faint light in the distance. As he neared it he saw something on the ground.

Jason kept his slow and steady walking pace. The light shone directly down on something - or rather someone on the cold concrete floor.

It was Thea. Beaten and bruised. Shaking and quivering. Tears streaming from her eyes, down her face. A knife stuck in her side. Blood and ink pooled on the ground. Her eyes looked empty, void of any life. But still sad and lost.

The figure that once was Thea shakily reached out her hand to Jason. Jason began to reach down to her. Then he felt something in his back. He heard the disgusting sound of tearing flesh and the worst pain he had ever felt pain shot through his body. His legs buckled and he dropped to his knees.

Looking down, Jason saw the pointy end of a knife exiting through his chest. The pain was unbearable. The sounds of screaming filled his ears. Sinister laughter. An evil presence. It felt like his head was going to explode.

Jason fell over but missed the ground. He fell through the floor and continued down into the darkness. And he kept falling. And falling. And falling.

* * *

"GAHUG!" Jason jolted awake in the hospital bed. The sharp and sudden movement made his chest and arm hurt like crazy. He winced at the pain and tried to rid his mind of the horrible nightmare. It was the worst one he'd ever had. It was the first one he'd had in a long time. His heart was racing and he tried to slow his quick breathing. "Oh my Cod! Oh my Cod!" he whispered to himself. "It was just a dream! It was just a dream!"

Jason looked out the window and saw it was still dark outside. He checked the clock on one of the monitors in the room. 2:38. He'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. The room was still dim and the hospital was quieter in the early morning hours.

Jason groaned in frustration. He really wanted some decent sleep. Now he was scared of having nightmares again, even if they weren't real. He ran his good hand down his face, feeling where his bandages were. He eyed the IV line running from his hand to a bag suspended above him. They were, unfortunately, very real and were going to be there for a while.

Jason gazed around the dark room and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Thea. She was sleeping in a chair close to the bed. A blanket wrapped her up to her shoulders. Her snoring was barely audible so Jason wouldn't have known she was there if he hadn't looked. He calmed down when he didn't see any knives and that she was fine. Just sleeping peacefully.

Jason just lay in bed, thinking, and watching Thea sleep. Why was she here and not with Arthur? Is she ok? Was she worried about him? How could she? She had almost lost her friend. Jason would've been worried too. Jason really cared for her and she cared about him. He had feelings for her and he was beginning to suspect she did too.

Jason thought about that last part. When he had first met Thea he was a nervous wreck. He was constantly worried about saying something offensive or doing something wrong. He had always been that way around girls was almost ready to just accept it. He'd just never have someone to love. But that changed when he was forced out of his comfort zone. Well, no one had actually forced him to do it. Guilt forced him to take Thea back home, and to care for her, and help her adjust to her new life above ground.

But Jason knew that his motivation for helping Thea had changed over time. At first, it was guilt and gut instinct. Then it was his good nature, his heart compelling him to help someone in need. Then, as he grew closer to Thea, he wanted to be a good friend. Someone she could trust and look to for guidance and companionship. Jason wanted to see her grow and begin a new life among the surface dwellers. He wanted her to get over her traumatic past and look to a bright future. Then, in his blind anger, he stupidly put his life on the line to avenge her scars, mental and physical. He saved her life a second time, but nearly at the cost of his own.

Thea stirred again in the chair, readjusting herself under the blanket. Jason watched her adorable, peaceful face. He smiled to himself at the Octoling. He knew in his heart there was a new longing. A new motivation. He was scared of it, excited and worried about it. Hundreds of scenarios ran through his head as he tried to think of what to do about it. All the possible events, outcomes, and consequences.

Jason shook his head to clear his thoughts. That hurt. It wasn't a good hour of the night to think too hard. Not when recovering from severe injuries. But he did want to know why she was here and not with Arthur. "Thea?" he whispered. She didn't respond. Jason tried again, louder. "Thea?"

Thea leaped up in the chair, eyes wide. "Ahh! I'm up, I'm up!"

Jason was so surprised he knocked the back of his head against the bed's backboard. "Owww!" he winced and grabbed his head with his good hand. When was he going to learn about waking Thea up?

Thea flopped back down in her chair, her face all sleepy again. The blanket had fallen to her feet. She stretched out her arms and yawned. "Jason? Are you awake?" she asked quietly.

Jason pushed through the headache, rubbed his head and grunted, "Y-yeah...I'm awake."

"What time is it?" Thea asked looking for a clock.

"It's still early in the morning. It's only been a few hours." Jason sighed.

"Oh..." Thea sighed too and rubbed her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Everything hurts." Jason groaned, feeling the stitches in his chest.

"Should I go get a nurse?" Thea asked. She scooted her chair closer to the side of Jason's bed.

"Mmmm...Maybe later." Jason shook his head, slowly so as not to worsen the headache. He reached over to the other side of the bed to grab the cup of water and two pain relief pills. He downed them with a grunt and a sigh of relief. The cool water was soothing to his dry and raspy throat. "How are you?"

"Tired and hungry." Thea smiled a little.

"Well, you should eat something."

"Mmmm...Maybe later." Thea smirked. Jason smiled at her teasing.

"Did you sleep well?" Thea asked with an adorable, worried, little smile.

Jason shook his head sadly. "No...no I didn't."

Thea's smile disappeared. "Oh..."

Jason paused for a moment. "Thea? Do you ever have bad dreams?"

Thea huffed through her nose and turned her head away. "All the time..." she said quietly but didn't elaborate.

"Oh..." Jason frowned, not sure what to make of that.

"Why? Did you have one?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "But I'm alright now...I think."

"Ok." Thea leaned forward in her seat. "So what happens now?"

"Now?" Jason asked. Thea nodded. "Well...now I stay here until I'm discharged. Then..." Jason rubbed his eyes and sighed. "there'll probably be a court case. We'll have to prove that Harry is the mugger with what little evidence we have and try to avoid the hefty fines or...jail time, that come with assault.

"He did confess, right?" Thea asked with a glimmer of hope.

"Yeah. But it's my word against his." Jason bit his lip. "He's older, has more experience and probably has money for a good lawyer. He's going to try to spin it on us." Jason sighed. "Then there's you."

"Me." Thea nodded, hope dwindling.

"The authorities will be very interested in you."

Thea gulped. "Yeah." She fidgeted with her fingers.

"Hey, Thea?"

"Yes?" She looked up at Jason.

"Uh...Why are you here...and not with Arthur?" Jason asked outright.

"U-Ummm..." Thea stuttered for a moment. Even in the dim light, Jason was sure he saw her face flush a little. "I-I don't..."

"Thea? Are you ok?" Jason asked, concerned.

"I-I didn't want to leave you. I was worried...about you." Thea looked down.

"But I told you not to-"

"I know, I know!" Thea said quickly. "But I still do."

"But why? I'm fine!" Jason said with a goofy smile. He pulled himself up to be upright, wincing at the pain.

"N-no! You're not!" Thea snapped back, a bit aggressively. "You're in th-th-the hospital with...with...knife wounds! You got hurt and you were asleep for hours and hours- "

"Ok, ok!" Jason tried to calm Thea down. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were that worried. I just thought it was a bit odd that you were still here."

Thea calmed down and her face showed regret. "I'm sorry...I was just...really, really worried about you."

"And I'm very grateful that you are." Jason tried to cheer her up again, but Thea didn't say anything more.

A moment of silence fell between them "Where's Arthur?", Jason asked to change the subject.

"He went home." Thea looked up, but away from Jason. She looked out the door to the rest of the hospital. "We had something to eat at the hospital's cafeteria. He went home and I stayed."

"Ok." Jason said quietly. He had hoped that Thea would've gone with Arthur. She didn't need to see him like this. In the hospital bed, beaten and bloodied.

The two sat in awkward silence for a while longer. The atmosphere in the room was getting more and more awkward.

Suddenly, the hospital's PA system buzzed from outside the room, in the hallway. An alarmed voice came over the intercom. Jason couldn't make out what it said, but he knew it wasn't good. The sound of rushed footsteps and loud, frantic chatter filled the hallway. Jason saw the figures of doctors and nurses moving quickly past the doorway.

Someone must've been in serious trouble to cause such a big commotion. "I hope they're ok." Jason commented on it. H then noticed Thea. She was shaking a bit, even the relatively warm room. She fidgeted with her fingers and her eyes glanced back and forth between the doorway and the floor.

Jason had a hunch. "Thea? You don't really like hospitals, do you?"

Thea winced. Painful memories. Memories that she had fought so hard to suppress were brought back up again. She shuddered a little but still didn't say anything. "I-I don't..." she stuttered, trying to avoid the question.

"Thea. I know you hate it here." Jason insisted. "Even when we first met you didn't want to go to the hospital." Thea bit her lip and closed her eyes. Jason pressed on. "They could've helped you. They could've taken care of you. But you didn't want to. You seemed scared of the hospital. I see even now that you're uncomfortable here."

Thea continued to stare at the ground. Jason saw her swallow hard. She was fighting back the emotions. Jason knew he was pushing it but he knew he needed to know. "You said it was a personal thing and I know I'm pushing it..."

Jason stopped himself. He had to watch his words. This was something that Thea really didn't want to talk about. He couldn't be too invasive of her privacy. But Jason had a hunch, and he was sure that this was for Thea's good.

"You were so hesitant to go to the hospital before. You were scared. And yet you don't want to leave now. Why? What's changed?"

Thea's eyes threatened to water again. She shivered a bit and shifted in her seat. She looked up at Jason with tears in her eyes. Jason was getting sick of seeing her sad all the time. But...maybe...

"Thea...please." Jason pleaded softly. "Please tell me. What happened?"

"Ok." Thea said softly with a broken voice. She coughed a little to clear her throat. "Ok. You remember when I said that my mum died in the hospital?"

Jason nodded. "You told us at my birthday dinner. You said she died of a sickness."

Thea shook her head. "No. No, she didn't die because she was sick." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't tell you the whole truth. As bad as her condition was, she was actually getting much better. She was probably only a few days from getting out."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Then...how?"

"D-did you ever hear about the Inkling attack on dome 12B?" Thea asked, sniffing.

Jason thought for a moment. "Uhhhh...yes...I read about that one. It was during the war. One of the worst battles in civilian territor-Oh...oh." Jason paused. He was starting to connect the dots.

Thea nodded slightly. "The Inkling invasion came to cut off the military supply chain that ran through the dome. The town's defense force was too small to handle such a large and quick invasion. They were slaughtered." Thea's eyes finally gave in. Tears ran down her face and she wiped them away. She took another deep breath before continuing. "A few surviving soldiers fled to the small, crumbling hospital. The Inkling soldiers followed them...then bombed the hospital."

Jason's eyes went wide. "O-oh my Cod, Thea. I-I'm...so sorry." he said sympathetically.

"The whole building went down. I wasn't in the hospital. I didn't get hurt badly, but mum was killed." Thea's voice was breaking up. "The Inkling invaders left and I was alone. I was found by the Octarian military and they took me in." Thea leaned back in her seat, shaking.

"Thea...I-I don't know what to say..."Jason shook his head in disbelief, mouth agape." I-I had no idea...that my people..." A wave of anger washed over Jason's face. His fists tightened and his jaw clenched. "...could do something like this!"

Thea shook her head. "No, it wasn't their fault. Is your army taught to read Octarian?"

"...No." Jason calmed down. Thea had a point.

"Mm-mm..." Thea sniffed. "The Inkling soldiers couldn't have known it was a hospital. They couldn't have read the signs. They just saw a run-down building with enemy soldiers hiding in it."

"But surely they saw the civilians! The innocent people in the hospital!" Jason was getting worked up again.

"No." Thea sadly shook her head again. "Everyone in the hospital was in hiding during the invasion. They wouldn't have seen them. They saw targets enter a building and figured the easiest way to clear it...was to blow them up." Thea covered her face and cried into her hands.

Jason was still furious. "No! This is a war crime! They killed innocent civilians, in a hospital! For fish's sake! I just...I just-gahhhh!" Jason threw his hand up. He took a deep breath to calm down.

Jason stared at the wall past Thea. He had no idea Thea's past was this horrific. He couldn't even imagine losing both his parents and serving under a corrupt and cruel military for two, long years. Then risking his life to escape only to be hunted by his own people, and the only refuge being in a foreign city. Then being homeless and almost losing his life to a psychopath. It was all just too much. Too much for one person to do alone. It brought tears to his eyes.

Jason finally understood. This was the reason Thea hated the hospital. This was why she stayed with Jason instead. If it wasn't for that attack, Thea never would've been recruited, she would've never come to Inkopolis to be mugged, and they would never have met.

Jason took another deep breath to compose himself. He tried to think of something smart to say to comfort Thea. He sat up straighter against the backboard of the bed. "Thea, I don't know everything about what you've been through. But I know some pretty horrible things have happened to you. A-and I don't believe in fate or destiny. But...I do think people can change their lives for the better."

"I know you wish those things didn't happen to you, I do too. And things may have turned out better if they didn't. But accidents happen and people do things that are out of our control. Sometimes, we make mistakes that seem obvious in hindsight. But often, we don't know all the consequences a tough decision will bring."

Thea uncovered her face and wiped away her tears. She sat up a little to listen to Jason.

"You may not like what has happened in your past and where your decisions have brought you, but here you are. And what's most important is what you do now, here, in the present. To better yourself. To better your situation. To better the people around you."

Thea sniffed and swallowed the limp in her throat. "I've said that I want to move on from...everything in my past. I want to forget. I've tried. I've tried so many times. But the memories, the emotions...the nightmares, they just keep coming back again. It makes it really hard to go on."

Jason's head snapped up. "Is that why you wake up with a fright every morning? Because I'm waking you up from a nightmare?" Thea didn't look at him but nodded silently. "I-I'm sorry. I had no idea. You seemed so...peaceful when you were sleeping."

"I know." Thea nodded. "I usually forget them right after I wake up. That's why I seem so normal afterward. Sometimes I remember them and that's how I know."

"I'm sorry, Thea." Jason shook his head sadly.

Thea shook her head. "No. I'm sorry for not telling you. I didn't want you to worry. Instead I've made it worse."

"What are the nightmares about?"

"Usually, I relive something from my life underground." Thea visibly shivered. "My mum's death. Or training in the military."

Jason sighed. At least that mystery was solved. "Well, you can't always suppress memories. Sometimes it's better to talk about them or to come to terms with them. You can't change the past...You can only control your future..." Jason realized how useless he was being. All this philosophical talk. That's not what Thea needed. She needed a friend's comfort and some time to think.

"Umm...Well, what I'm trying to say is...Uh..." Jason ran his hand down his face and groaned in frustration. "Cod, I'm sorry, Thea. I'm not good with words."

Thea drew a shaky breath and sniffed. "It's fine." She took the golden toothpick from her tentacles and held it in her hands. "The last time I ever spoke to my mum...She gave me her golden toothpick. She said it had been passed down through our family for generations." Thea held the beautiful ornament to her chest. Tears fell from her face into her lap. "And it was finally my time to have it. It was the one thing of her that I got to keep."

Jason rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "How did you lose it?"

"I-I don't know." Thea wiped her face. "I just realized one day, in the training facility, that it was gone. I usually left it in my dorm. It wasn't in it's place one day. I looked all over for it and it was nowhere to be seen."

Thea drew another shaky breath. She held the golden toothpick in her hands. Its shiny and polished surface reflected a warm, golden light in the dim hospital room. Thea gave a weak smile. "And...that's why I'm so thankful for this one."

Jason's eyes snapped back to Thea. Thea looked up at Jason and both of their teary eyes locked. "And that's why I'm here." she said.

"Hmm?" Jason furrowed his brow and cocked his head slightly.

Thea moved her chair a bit closer to Jason. "Jason, I have no family left." She spoke with more determination in her voice. "I was imprisoned in a military base for two years. I sacrificed everything to escape, only to find that I was homeless. I came to your city for help and was turned down. Left to roam the streets and alleyways. I was cold, and starving, and just about ready to give up. Then to top it all off, I was assaulted by a crazy cook with a fancy engraved knife!"

Jason nodded as he thought back to their first encounter in that dark alley. Where his stupid idea to throw his groceries at said 'crazy cook' started a series of events that would lead to where they were now.

"Jason," Thea continued her rant. "In the one week I've spent with you, you've shown me more love and compassion than anyone else has for the last two years. You've given up your, food, your time, your money to help me. You cared for my wounds, you gave me new clothes, you taught me to read and write your language, you found me a job, you showed me the more fun and enjoyable side to life."

Thea took another deep breath before continuing. "You've put up with my mistakes, and some of my... more...interesting characteristics." she said with a cringe. Jason remembered her strange wake-up routine and his remarkable ability to get hurt every time. He smirked at that thought.

"You cheered me up when I was sad, you ran for hours through the city for me!" Thea said a bit louder. "You bought me the most wonderful gift, then you put your life on the line to save me, again! Well...after you stupidly tried to confront Harry alone!" Thea laughed.

Jason's face went red from embarrassment. "Y-yeah, not my smartest move."

Thea sighed now that her long-winded rant was over. "The point is, Jason, no one has ever shown me that much care before. I know that you truly do care about me..." Thea paused for a second. "And love me." she said with a shy smile.

Jason's heart jumped 5 feet in the air and the sirens and alarm bells went off in his brain. His face turned fully tomato red and averted his eyes to the ground. "Ga-I-Pfff..." he sputtered. Thea couldn't help but giggle at the poor Inkling's embarrassment.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry..." was all Jason could muster. "I-I didn't mean...I mean I...Oh my Cod!" He looked away and covered his burning face with his good hand.

"No! It's fine!" Thea laughed. Jason was so cute when he got flustered. It was like he was stuck between wanting her to know he was in love with her and not.

"But seriously!" Thea smiled at Jason. She took Jason's hand, the one in bandages, in hers. Jason was surprised and looked back at Thea. "The point is that all of this, everything you've done for me. And everything we've done together. And everything I've seen and everyone I've met. And everything we've been through together! That's why I'm here."

Jason stared at Thea, eyes wide. He gazed into her beautiful sapphire eyes. Full of tears, but tears of joy. He felt her gently squeeze his bandaged and bloodied hand in hers.

"And even though I went through some really terrible stuff to get to where I am now, I am so glad I got to meet you. You've cared for me, even when I didn't care about you. And now, when you need it the most, I care about you." Thea paused, briefly. "Because you're the one I want to be with."

Jason's eyes welled up with tears too. A turbulent wave of mixing emotions stirred in his heart. His brain was seizing up, screaming at him to figure out just 'what the shell was happening!' He was completely overwhelmed. "Wait...S-so...Y-you're saying...that...?

Thea giggled at the silly Inkling. "Yes, Jason! I love you!"

Jason's mind was blown. "I...I-I...Th-Thea!" he tripped over his words. "I-I don't...know-Ah..." He mentally kicked himself for being such a blabbering idiot.

Thea laughed again at Jason's embarrassment and shock. "Oh come on, you can say it!"

Jason took a few deep breaths to calm down. He thought about what he should say or how to say it. They always made it seem so easy in the movies. Nothing clever-sounding came to mind, so he just went with what they always say in the movies.

"O-ok." He gulped down his panic. "Uh...Thea. I...love you!" He said simply. The three words that everyone longs to hear. The three words he never thought he'd get to say to her out loud.

Thea squealed and reached over to give Jason a great big hug. She put her arms around Jason's neck and her head on his shoulder. "Owww! Ow, ow, ow!" Jason yelped from the pressure on his chest.

"Oh! Sorry!" Thea pulled back, red in the face.

Jason laughed. It was just like when she first came in to see him. "I-it's alright, I'm fine! Just need to be more careful!"

"Ok!" Thea grinned wide and resumed the hug, but was careful not to hurt Jason.

Jason, at first, didn't know what to do. He had hugged Thea before, but not like this. Eventually, he worked up the courage to put his arms around Thea's back and returned the hug. It felt amazing. The warm embrace was so comforting.

"I love you, Jason!" Thea said quietly. "Thank you so much, for everything! You've changed my life."

"And thank you, Thea!" Jason rubbed her back. "You've changed my life too." Suddenly, Jason pulled Thea away. He looked her right in the eyes. "And I promise, I will do everything I can to keep you here! I won't let them take you back! Not without a fight!"

Tears of joy streamed down Thea's face. "And I'll do everything I can to prove you innocent!"

The two stared into each other's eyes for a while, just savoring the moment. Jason broke the silence when his face flushed redder than ever. "Uh..." He coughed to clear his throat. "Do you wanna...um...maybe finish that moment we had in the alleyway?" He asked shyly.

Thea giggled. "I thought you'd never ask!" Immediately, she grabbed Jason's shoulders and kissed him on the lips. Jason's eyes went wide as saucepans. The sensation of euphoria and adrenaline overwhelmed his systems. Slowly, he relaxed. He closed his eyes and he returned the kiss. It was the most amazing sense of joy and happiness.

Jason didn't know how to fix the mess he'd made. He didn't know how to help Thea overcome her fears. Nor did he care at that moment. He was just happy to be right there, right then, with no one else but Thea.

They ended the kiss after a little while. "Wow!" Jason whispered then chuckled. "Since when have you wanted to do that?!"

Thea giggled. "Since that awkward moment we had in the bathroom on our first night!" Jason laughed. "How about you?" she asked.

Jason thought for a moment. "Honestly? From the moment I met you!" He pulled Thea close and the two of them shared another kiss in an intimate moment of bliss. A moment both Jason and Thea wished could last forever and ever.

"What the-!" Jason heard a familiar voice and snapped back to attention. Thea pulled away from his embrace, fell back into her seat and wiped her lips. Jason noticed the saliva dribbling down his chin and quickly wiped it away with a panic.

"Jason?" An adult Inkling couple stood in the hospital room doorway, staring at them for obvious reasons.

Jason sputtered. "M-Mom! Dad!"

* * *

 **Hey, guys! Long time no see!**

 **I'm very sorry about the wait for this one. December and January were freaking hectic! Lots of things have happened. Like, _a lot._ I got two part-time jobs, my ice skating training has been taking up a lot of time, then there was Christmas and all the birthdays! Jeez, it was crazy. Lots more happened but I won't bore you. This A/N will be super long already!**

 **I do constantly think about this story when I'm working or driving or something, but to translate my thoughts into words is hard. I need time to just sit down and figure out how to write things in a way that's pleasant to read and actually makes sense. I just didn't get that time for a while.**

 **I'm also 18 today! Whoo! Making up for last year!**

 **I've been writing this story for over a year now. What started as just a simple backstory for my OC and a practice for conversations in written form has turned into a passion for writing stories. I am committed to wrapping this story up in a neat little bow. I want to have something I can show to my friends and family with pride, not shame.**

 **So on that note, you may have noticed a few things off in this chapter. Some character inconsistencies and such. Namely, Jason's motivations have changed. I want to flesh out his character a bit more. (Thea too, but I don't think she needs it as much.) Jason was a character I made up with the sole purpose of being the protagonist because I didn't want my OC to be the center of the story. Like, Thea has an important role, but I needed a character to progress the plot.**

 **Unlike Thea, Jason wasn't created with much thought and planning. I need to fix that and you've seen that in this chapter. (Hopefully, you didn't notice. In which case, it's working!) I plan on going back and updating most of the older chapters to be more in line with the new cannon after I finish this story. I don't think it's that necessary to do it now, so I'll spend my time finishing the story before endlessly polishing and perfecting. (I'm a chronic perfectionist.)**

 **So anyway, Jason and Thea are finally together! Like for real! And we know a little more about Thea's past. The fight isn't over yet though. They still have to beat Harry in court! And I wonder what Jason's parents are gonna think of what they just walked into. ;)**

 **Plugs time! Follow me or the story for updates on new chapters. Review for M &Ms and my sanity. PM me for an invite to my humble little Discord server. It's a little more interactive than say Twitter or Instagram. (Shoutouts to Destiny, who's been waiting for this chapter for over a year, and Muzz for her _FREAKING CHEESE!_ (That's an inside joke, don't worry about it.)) Thank you all so much for your encouragement and patience between chapters! It means the world to me!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket**


	16. Update

**Hi, guys! Just popping in to announce that I'm not dead (nobody asked...thanks guys). Sorry if I got your hopes up with a notification, no new chapter today. I just wanted to explain some things about why there hasn't been much progress.**

 **But if you're not interested in my ramblings, just know that I do intend on finishing The Little Differences, hopefully before the end of the year. I just have been busy and distracted by things of higher priority. Progress will resume when I find the time. The story will be done when it's done. There I said it, you can leave and continue with the rest of your day or evening. Have a good one! Bye-bye!**

 **For those of you who for some reason care to read on, thanks I guess?**

 **So...yeah...Covid-19 happened. Pretty much everything ground to a standstill for much of the world. My country was no exception. We went into full lockdown really early. I lost my 3 part-time jobs and my ice skating training was put on hold. You might think that would've freed up a lot of time. You'd be wrong. Because the cows don't stop producing milk for lockdown. I spent a lot of time working on the farm my family works for (we don't own it but my dad's the manager) and I'm now working there full-time.** **I spent the little free time I had on several other projects I'm working on but can't share yet. I'm sure that for every author who gained free-time to write there is an author who lost time. It seems that I am one of the later.**

 **When I really did have free time to write, I couldn't bring myself to start. It takes a lot of mental strength.** **TLD is also my first ever long story. I won't go into the details but the way I wrote it means that I have to keep track of a lot of things in my head while writing.** **I haven't been writing for a long time like a lot of others on this site have and I still need to practice. So it takes me a lot of effort to force myself to start. Most of the time a chapter starts with me staring at a blank screen and smashing my head against the wall for ideas (there is now a dent in my wall behind my bed). I've also had writer's block on the beginning for the next chapter for a while. I've kind of painted myself into a corner in a way.**

 **I did manage to finally buy a new laptop and after some shenanigans with customs import taxes, I finally have a good computer! It runs amazing and is going to help get my projects done so much faster.**

 **I've also been learning 'touch typing', which it the correct typing method. Yeah, I know! I've been using 'pick n peck' this whole time I've been writing! If you haven't learned it yourself yet, you really should. It'll feel slow at first but it will make you faster than you ever were before. I've been using it to write this out and it's going great! I'm excited to start using it in the next chapter.**

 **I've also spent some time watching and listening to videos about writing. How I can improve my writing. Better flow. Better world building and better characters and styles of writing. How to do _x_ or _y_ in writing. I'm excited to put my new knowledge to good use.**

 **So anyway, about the next chapter. I still need to figure out how to start it without it just oozing cheese. I have pretty much the rest of the story sorted in my head and I really want to get it done. I'm confident that everything will fall into place once I can break through this writer's block.**

 **Make no mistake. I WILL finish The Little Differences. I'm not going to give up just because it's hard. I've really enjoyed entertaining people and learning to write. I love my characters and I have bigger plans for them than just this one stupid fanfiction.**

 **Thank you so much for reading my first steps into the world of writing and for reading my stupidly long author's note. Progress will resume, I just can't give a good timeframe.**

 **Have a great day or evening! Stay safe out there. Wash your hands for goodness sake!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Dashanerocket.**


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